


Darkness Rising

by ScarletWinter2478



Category: Sebastian Stan - Fandom
Genre: Abuse, Drama, F/M, Having Faith, Horror, Kidnapping, Love, Mental Instability, Mild Sexual Content, Nightmares, Past Rape/Non-con, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-22 01:06:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 37,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14297421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletWinter2478/pseuds/ScarletWinter2478
Summary: Renowned psychiatrist Sebastian Stan is determined to find a way to help his patient work her way through the issues that have brought her to him.Ellen O’Neil is desperate to find a way be rid of the nightmares that plague her nights and have begun to carry over to her waking hours as well.Together they take a journey to a dark place, filled with supernatural undertones and the power of faith; they uncover secrets that have remained buried for years and the tortured soul that is behind it all.   It’s not a smooth road and obstacles abound, but along the way they develop an unwavering love for one another.    Will that love be enough to get them through the final battle?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work contains a variety of uncomfortable situations that may be difficult to read. I never go into too much detail, but there is little doubt as to what is happening. Pleased be advised and be aware that there are scenes of implied sexual abuse, torture, animal sacrifice, supernatural occurrences, witchcraft, kidnapping, angels and demons. And remember that in the end, it's mostly a love story, but you have to be willing to take the good with the bad. 
> 
> I've never attempted a story quite as dark as this one... I really had a difficult time working my way through it, but I hope that you will read it with an open mind, find something about it to love, and please, let me know what you think of it!!
> 
> Happy reading!

 

_The heat of the day is oppressive. She walks across a field of delicate yellow flowers that stretches as far as the eye can see. The plants are bowing deeply, in need of water to revive their wilting stems. She can hear the constant crunch of the dry grass under her feet; tiny little bugs filling the air above and around her as each step she takes disturbs their rest in the afternoon heat._

_She tries to work up enough saliva to wet her mouth and relieve the tightness of thirst in her throat. A drop of sweat runs from her forehead down to the bridge of her nose and into her eye, making her stop for a moment. She uses the back of her hand to wipe at it, only making things worse as the salty sweat that has risen there as well, only adds to her discomfort._

_Grabbing the bottom of her t-shirt, she pulls it up and dabs at her eyes, then uses it as a towel to wipe her whole face. Looking upward, she is nearly blinded by the rays of the sun. Taking a deep breath she continues to walk. After a while, she comes to an abrupt stop. Her way is blocked by a tall, white picket fence, where no fence should be. It takes her a moment to process this odd development. She craves water desperately and can think of little else._

_Looking left and then right, the fence stretches far and wide in both directions. No way to get around it, she reaches for the gate … but stops, her hand suspended in the air, lost. She doesn’t want to go on. She doesn’t want to go through the gate…_

 

“Ellen, this is Dr. Stan. Listen to my voice. You are perfectly safe. Go through the gate and I will be there with you.”

Dr. Stan, Sebastian to his friends, has moved his chair to be closer to Ellie as she reclines in the big comfy leather chair. They have reached this gate often, only managing to move forward a couple of times in the 3 months that he has been treating her.   He reaches out and takes her hand, resting his fingers lightly on her wrist. Her pulse is racing and her breath is ragged.

“Ellen, open the gate,” he urges gently.  


_She whimpers softly, but pulls the bolt that locks it in place. Pulling on it, a strong breeze that has arisen from nowhere catches the gate and slams it all the way open, hitting the outside of the fence, the resounding ‘bang!’ making her jump and her skin crawl. A shadow passes over the field and she looks up to see clouds forming at an unnatural rate. Her knees trembling, Ellen takes several steps forward past the fence and shivers, the breeze sweeping across her hot skin and cooling the sweat that has gathered there. Suddenly, she hears the gate slam again and she moans in fear. She knows it has closed and locked behind her and that there is no way out._

_Her only choice is in front of her and she continues to walk. No longer able to hear the grass crunching, she looks down to find that there is none beneath her feet. She is walking on a dusty trail. Looking forward she squints, seeing that it stretches on for as far as she can see._  
  


“Ellen, I’m right here. Let’s walk down this path together. Tell me what you see,” Sebastian knew their time was almost up for today, but he wanted to get her past this barrier. He needed her to move on down this path…  


_Taking a deep breath, Ellen focuses on the path, moving slowly at first, then more quickly as the sky is growing darker and she can now hear rustling in the tall grass growing along the sides of the path. She doesn’t dare look, doesn’t want to know what might be walking with her. Her stride grows faster and faster until suddenly she stumbles and nearly falls to the ground; anchoring her palms just above her knees she regains her balance just in time. When she stands, she looks down to see what she stumbled over... it’s something buried in the ground, a rounded rock of some kind, poking up through the dirt._  
  


“Ellen… I want you to move on. Move past the object in the ground and take me further down the path.” This was the spot where he usually lost her in past sessions. She wants to dig up the object and the sight of the skull buried there makes her lose her way. He needed to know what lay beyond that.

“Ellie, can you hear me?” she had grown quiet, but her breathing was really labored now. He would have to bring her around soon if he couldn’t calm her down. “Ellen, do you feel my hand holding yours? I am right here with you. Do you feel me?”

“Yes,” came her weak reply.

“Good. That’s good. Let’s move on now. Tell me what you see.”  


_She kept going, moving forward, a little more carefully now. It was really getting dark and she didn’t want to fall again. But the sounds, the sounds were all around her now. She was afraid to look in any direction other than directly in front of her. It was so dark… how could it be this dark so early in the day? Damn it! She said out loud as she tripped again, this time landing hard on her hands and knees, making a squishing sound as she hit the ground. “What the fuck?” she was angry enough to forget her fear for a moment. Scanning the ground around her she frowned. The dusty path was now covered with mud.  Suddenly, the smell overwhelmed her senses. A metallic, sour smell permeates the ground rising to fill the air. Blood. It was the smell of blood, and it was everywhere. Standing quickly, she looked at her hands. Not covered in mud. Covered in blood. And those rocks; were they… skulls? Skulls? Dozens and dozens of them._  
  


“Can you see anything else? Are there any buildings? Any signs? Anything at all?” Sebastian tried to get her to look past this horrific discovery, but she was stuck there, unable to move on.

“Ellie, listen to me. I want you to come back now. I’m going to count to five and when I get there, you will open your eyes and be wide awake, refreshed, calm, safe. Are you ready?”

She was trembling and mumbling words he couldn’t understand.

“One. Two. Three. Ellen, are you ready? Four. Five. Open your eyes.”

Ellen O’Neill opened her green eyes and looked up at Sebastian, a soft smile on her face. He smiled back, pulling her up into a sitting position. “How do you feel?”

“Good. But, I don’t... I don’t remember anything.” She looked around the office then back at Sebastian, “How did we do?”

“We did very well. YOU did very well. And keep in mind, I don’t want you to worry about not remembering what happens when you are under. That’s a protection mechanism; perfectly natural.” Glancing at his watch he smiles at her, “My next patient is waiting on me. I’m going to give you a prescription to help you sleep… with no dreams. Just for a few days. Okay?” He knew she didn’t like to take the pills, but she would for a few nights at a time.

“Okay.” She nodded and stood, understanding that he had other patients to see and couldn’t spend more time with her. “Thank you Dr. Stan. I’ll see you next week.”

“No… wait. I’m going to have Joanne work her magic and fit you in on Friday, if that’s okay with you? We made some progress today and I don’t want to wait until next week to see you again.”

“Of course, that’s fine.”

“Good. I’ll have her call you as soon as she can shuffle around a patient or two.”

“Alright, I’ll see you on Friday then. Goodbye Dr. Stan.”

“Goodbye Ellen. Try to get some rest.”

 

Sebastian watched as she made her way across the outer waiting room. She was a beautiful woman, intelligent and friendly. Thinking of her soft voice, the scent of her perfume, the warmth of her skin as he held her hand… he bristled as he had to remind himself yet again that she was a patient. A patient who had come to him desperate for his help. These nightmares that plagued her were dangerous. Dangerous to her state of mind, as well as her physical well-being. She almost never slept, trying to avoid the horror that she knew awaited her in the darkness of slumber. Compounding all of this was the fact that to her, these nightmares were much more than that. They weren’t just dreams; they were memories, or so she had convinced her. She believed that she had walked that dusty path, tripped over those bones, been covered in blood. It was his job to help her find the truth.  With a sigh, he turned back to his office and prepared for his next patient.

 

Ellen, Ellie to her friends, had taken the entire afternoon off, so instead of going straight home, she wandered around the downtown district, finding several shops that were new to her and spending more money than she normally would. She was a graphic artist and made a decent salary with the company she worked for, but she had set up a budget for herself and honestly tried to stick to it. Her money was one of the few things in her life that she felt like she had some sort of control over. Time flew by as she ducked into several more shops, taking the time to explore, often talking with the owners or whoever was tending the store at the time. When she realized that it was getting close to five o’clock, she decided she should make her way back to the subway and head home.

Finding the right train, she climbed on board and quickly took a seat. The car was only about half full, strange for this time of day. She pulled one of the books she had purchased out of the bag and began to read. After a few minutes, she felt certain that someone was watching her. Not wanting to be too obvious, she reached up and gently rubbed her eyes, then looked around like she was trying to refocus. The scream caught in her throat as she caught sight of him; a man wearing an extra large hooded sweatshirt; the hood so big the edges nearly covered his whole face. Nearly…but not enough to hide the sunken eye sockets that appeared to be empty until he blinked and they opened again with shiny beady orbs looking back at her.

They entered a tunnel then and she held her book tightly, eyes squeezed shut as she held her breath for a moment; then realized she was more afraid of not knowing what was going on around her, so she opened them again.   As the train sped through the tunnel, the lights flickered off and on, over and again. She saw him…then darkness, then beady eyes, then darkness, then the skull faced man again. Finally they exited the tunnel and looking across from her, there was a very tired looking woman now sitting where the man had been. Had she imagined it? Was someone playing tricks on her? Or was this more of the insanity of her dreams coming to life?

Remembering that she needed to stop at the pharmacy, she prepared to get off the train a few stops early to pick up her prescription. She didn’t notice the shadowy figure that had followed her all afternoon as she shopped. She didn’t hear the mumbles or the stench of hatred coming from the darkness that dwelled in that solitary figure. And she didn’t see or hear anything as he fell in behind her as she left the pharmacy.

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

Sebastian was trying to relax on the balcony of the spacious, well-appointed apartment he called home. He sipped on a glass of wine and smoked a cigarette. His head ached and he could feel the twinges of anxiety that had begun rising in him earlier in the day. He had hit the gym after work, which usually gave him a sense of relief and accomplishment. Not today. He felt like he was failing; failing Ellen. He realized it was still early in the process, but he had hoped to be making more progress by now. He didn’t believe for a minute that her dreams were memories, but **she** certainly did and he had to find the source of the nightmares to even begin to address putting an end to them. One thing for sure, her terror was real. No wonder she fought sleep the way she did. He poured himself another glass and leaned back in his chair, her face fresh in his mind, the memory of her trusting smile bolstering his determination to help her.

 

A few hours later he was awakened by the sound of his phone ringing. He grabbed it up and checked the caller ID. It was her.

“Ellen?” he asked with a flutter of dread in his chest. “Are you okay?”

“Dr. Stan… I… I’m sorry. I need help. I didn’t know who else to call. Please…can you come? Please?”

“Yes,” he replied without even considering the complications it could cause. “Give me your address and I’ll be right there.”

 

She was standing out in the hall waiting for him when he stepped off the elevator. She was wearing only a thin pair of pajamas, her hair a softly tumbling mess down her back and over her shoulders; her freshly scrubbed face making her look so young he almost had to look twice to be sure it was her.

“Ellen!” he grabbed her close. She was cold and scared and he felt awful for sending her home alone. “Let’s go inside.” She looked at him with raw fear in her eyes.

“It… he’s in there! I can’t …” her eyes pleaded with him.

Putting his hands on her arms, he spoke firmly, “Ellen. Let’s go inside. I won’t let anyone hurt you, I promise.” He pushed the door open wide, noting that most of the lights were on. He stepped into the entryway then reached out to her. She took his hand, silently following him back into her apartment. He walked from room to room, checking closets, behind furniture, out on her balcony, finding nothing.   With a look of concern creasing his brow, he moved to stand with her in front of the couch motioning for her to sit.

“There is no one here but you and me…”

“…but there is! Or there was… I swear Dr. Stan, I saw him, I saw… someone… on the subway. He followed me. He followed me and now he knows where I live when I’m awake…” Her voice was strained and he could hear the hysteria rising.   Looking into his blue eyes, she pleaded, “Please tell me you believe me!” The tears came then and before he knew what was happening, she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. He gave in and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, stroking her hair, as he offered soft words of comfort. She was trembling so he grabbed a throw from the back of the couch and wrapped it around her then held her close again.

Finally, the tears slowed and then stopped altogether. She still rested her head on him; the rhythm of his chest rising and falling, the strong beat of his heart in her ear, the warmth of his arms around her all worked together to calm her.   She didn’t want to move, but knew she had to. She was embarrassed that she had freaked out and bothered him at home.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered so softly he almost didn’t hear.

“Sorry? No… don’t, don’t be sorry. I’m the one you are supposed to call in this kind of situation. And I’m happy that you feel you can trust me,” he wasn’t even sure what he was saying. He was lost in the moment, in her warmth, in his overpowering desire to protect her.

Raising her head, she looked into his deep blue eyes and sighed. “I know you don’t believe me. But I promise you I’m not crazy.” Sebastian started to protest, but she stopped him, “No… it’s okay. I don’t think I would believe it either if it wasn’t happening to me. Thank you Dr. Stan, for coming all this way. I’m feeling much better now. And I’m sure we both have to be up early in the morning.”

“Ellen, listen to me. I believe that **you** believe what you are saying. It’s just that I think you are confused by some things, but I swear I will help you figure it out. You can count on me… I hope that you do. And I’ll… I’ll spend what’s left of the night on this couch if you want me to. I’ll gladly do that for you.” He hoped he wasn’t letting too much of his feelings for her seep out.

She graced him with a gentle smile, a soft blush crossing her face, “That’s very kind of you. But I’ll be okay now, really. No need for you to toss and turn on this lumpy thing,” she lightly punched the back of the couch for emphasis.

Without thinking, he brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. “Okay. I’ll go. But I want your word that you won’t hesitate to call me if… you need anything. Will you do that?”

“Yes. I promise.” She had moved to the door and now held it open, more or less dismissing him as gently as she could. He gave her a bright smile and said, “Alright then. I’ll leave you to get some rest. And I’ll see you on Friday, right?”

“Friday,” she nodded and watched as he walked towards the elevator. She wanted him to stay almost as much as he **wanted** to do it.

Back inside her apartment, she closed the door and locked it, checking it twice before making her way to the couch, rolling up in a ball under the blanket Sebastian had wrapped around her earlier; she left all of the lights on and she slept there until morning came.

  


Sebastian drove straight home, hoping to catch a few more hours of sleep if he could. He stripped his clothes off and as he prepared to toss his shirt in the clothes basket, he felt the dampness still clinging to the spot where her tears had spilled. He lay down and stared at the ceiling, running over every possible scenario that might guide him in how to treat her. He could hear her sobs now, in the quietness of his own room. She was terrified and she felt alone. He had to convince her he was on her side, no matter where this path took them… A path. A path that changes from grass to dust. His first thought of course was ‘death’… someone had died and she had connected that loss with walking life’s inevitable path; or possibly moving forward and leaving someone she loved behind; being lost or feeling the pressure of a new environment… shit. It could be one or none or all of those.

He pulled the covers up to his waist and closed his eyes, trying to think of something else, nearly crossing over the bridge to sleep when he remembered the sound, the rustling noise that followed her. Only he wasn’t really remembering it. He was hearing it. It was there in the room with him. It was near… suddenly his eyes flew open and he sat up quickly opening the drawer of the bedside table, grabbing his .38 special. At first, he could only hear the sound of his own heavy breathing, as his nerves were strung tight. Pulse pounding in his ears, he reached above his head to flip on the reading light above the bed.

Just when he had convinced himself that there was nothing, he heard it again. His eyes scanned the room, every corner, every nook and cranny and he saw nothing. The only places left were the closet, and under the bed. He moved to the edge of the bed and nodded. What the hell? Better to know for sure. He stood and quickly moved to the closet, throwing the door open much harder than necessary, reaching deep inside and swishing his arm around, making the hanging clothes swing back and forth. Nothing there; did he really expect there to be? Turning to face the bed he listened intently, hearing only the sound of his watch ticking on the dresser.

This is ridiculous he thought, almost laughing out loud, as he bent down to peer under his bed, just in case. He didn’t see anything and he didn’t hear…wait. There it was…a soft rustling sound under the bed. Damn it! He stood and walked to his dresser opening the top drawer where he had stowed a flashlight for emergencies, trading the gun for the flashlight.   He also switched on the overhead light then knelt down again, aiming the beam of light under his bed. Nothing, nothing at all. With a sigh he stood, rubbing his free hand down the side of his face. Feeling quite foolish, he reasoned that the intruder must be a rodent of some kind, moving from one side of the room to the other. He turned off the lights, all except the reading light, and then settled back down into his comfy bed. He yawned loudly and closed his eyes, but sleep was a long time coming.


	3. Chapter 3

 

On Friday, Ellen considered skipping her appointment with Dr. Stan. She was still embarrassed that she had called him on Wednesday night. She had always prided herself on being stronger than that. But after the incident on the subway she had been on edge the rest of the evening. She had taken a couple of the pills that he had prescribed for her and gone to bed early, hoping to catch up on a little of the sleep she had missed. It wasn’t too very long before she regretted even trying. The dreams came to her with a vengeance. She’d had these recurring nightmares for most of her life. She had names for all of them; The House Dream, The Voice Dream and of course The Path Dream.   At first they came on a very irregular basis. Sometimes she would go many months without having any of them. Sometimes she would have the same one several times and be done. Never had they plagued her they way they were now; night after night, one of them or all of them, every single night.  

Dr. Stan was very nice and extremely patient with her. He really wanted to help her, she could tell that right from start. She could also tell that he was very attracted to her. She smiled at the mirror and applied a small amount of color to her already pink lips.   Of course she would keep her appointment. She enjoyed their sessions for the most part and was in no way immune to his ample charm. He had such an easy way about him, yet an undeniable strength as well. He made her feel safe; something she had been lacking in her life for a long time. He was also extremely handsome and …well… quite sexy; something else she hadn’t had in her life for quite a while. He was around 6 ft tall with thick dark hair, broad shoulders and chest, a brilliant smile and astonishing blue eyes. How was she supposed to overlook all of that? The fact that he was unable to hide his attraction to her gave Ellie an unreasonable sense of satisfaction, though she felt certain he would never act on those feelings.   And as much as she would regret it; if he WAS able to help her make sense of her dreams and the things that were happening around her, she would welcome the end of their relationship. At least on a professional level.

 

Sebastian ran his fingers through his hair, taking a deep breath and then buzzed Joanne to send Miss O’Neill in. He stood to greet her as she entered the room, looking a little nervous, almost shy, and absolutely beautiful. She smiled brightly at him, taking the hand he extended and then she blushed. She fucking blushed, the color rising in her cheeks as she looked away for a moment, giving her a radiant glow that seemed almost unnatural. She bit her lip and asked him if she should sit in the recliner. For a brief moment her words did not register as his brain was focused on her bottom lip, wondering how it would feel to suck gently on it as he held her in his arms… damn it! He had to stop this!

“Dr. Stan, I want to apologize again for dragging you out of bed the other night. I don’t know what I was thinking.” She lowered her head briefly and then looked directly into his amazing eyes. “That’s not true. I knew exactly what I was doing, and I’m so sorry to interrupt your private time. You have so many other patients; I know I have no special claim on you. It, it’s just that I feel like you are one of very few people in this whole world I can turn to...who won’t judge me, no matter how crazy I sound.”

She started to go on, but he took her hand in his, “Ellen, I told you then that it was no problem and I meant it. I want you to **know** that you can call me any time, night or day, for any reason.”

He was standing so close to her now that she could feel the warmth from his body, or maybe that was the heat of her own body rising, she couldn’t be sure at that moment, couldn’t think straight as he spoke so softly, smelling so good, his eyes telling her exactly what he was feeling inside.

“And…please. Stop calling yourself crazy. You are not crazy, not even close,” he gave her a cheeky grin and she giggled, asking him again where she should sit.

“How about right here?” he pointed to one of the overstuffed club chairs.

Ellie nodded and sat down in the comfy chair, Sebastian sitting across from her in a matching one, a small oblong table separating them. She was surprised that he didn’t want her in the recliner, remembering that he had been pleased with Wednesday’s hypnosis and thinking he would want to continue from there. Apparently he had other things on his mind… However, at the moment he was simply staring at her, with a very contemplative look on his face.

Finally he asked, “Ellie, tell me about the house. Is that where the path leads?”

Startled by his question, she sat further back in her seat. “No… I don’t think so.”

“Where does it lead? Have you ever reached the end of it? Do you remember?”

“No.” was all she said.

“Okay, how do you get to the house? Do you walk, or come by car or…”

“I, I’ve told you before, I don’t know. I’m already right there, just outside the door or very near to it when the dream starts.”

“…and you don’t recognize it as ‘the house’ when you first see it… but it comes to you once you are inside, right?”

“Yes, no.… Sometimes I recognize it, but I’m not afraid. I just go right in, like I think ‘this time will be different.’ Other times, I have no idea; I don’t know I’m in danger until it starts… the house, it changes, transforms itself into something awful. The air is thick and everything feels alive and wrong; evil.”

Sebastian tapped his pen on the pad of paper he always held, even though he always recorded their sessions as well. He studied her for a moment then asked, “Why do you go inside? Is it your house? A friend’s house? A relative?”

She thought about it before answering, “It’s no one’s house and everyone’s. I go in because, I’m supposed to. I’m the one it wants.”

He nodded then asked, “What’s upstairs?”

Ellie sucked in a sharp breath and tried to answer calmly, “I don’t go upstairs…except for one time. I know that ... I know that it’s something bad; something dark and terrifying; something wicked and… old. It’s very old and wise.”

He sat up straighter in his chair, “Wise? How do you know?”

“The voice… the voice knows everything that scares me. It knows me. And it knows other things. Lots of things.”

“Do you recognize it? Does the voice belong to someone you knew as a child?” Sebastian was becoming more and more convinced that Ellie had been assaulted as a child and her dreams were a coping mechanism, a means of dealing with the horror of it.

For the next 20 minutes he peppered her with questions, one right after the other. Her answers remained nearly the same as they had the last times he had questioned her like this, with only a few exceptions. She was remembering a little more detail, each time.

With about 15 minutes left in their session, Sebastian switched gears. He stood and walked to a small upright cooler, asking her if she wanted something to drink. She nodded in the affirmative and he grabbed two small bottles of water and carried them back, handing one to Ellie, who seemed a little stressed, but in control.

He asked her about the previous day, how work had gone, how she had slept last night. He wanted to know if she was getting any exercise, eating regular meals, working extra hours, taking time to relax, maybe go out with friends.

She shook her head at that final question. “I don’t really have many friends. And those I do have are married or involved with someone, so they aren’t free very often. Is that, important?”

He scrunched his nose up saying, “Yes, of course it is! You should be spending time with people who are interested in the things that you are; who enjoy doing things that make you happy. You are too young and beautiful to be tied to a desk or hiding away in your apartment.”

She couldn’t stop the shy smile that spread across her face…he had called her beautiful. She was pretty sure that wasn’t in the shrink handbook. His next question surprised her even more.

“Do you, uh, do you have a boyfriend or significant other? Or anyone like that? Someone you’re especially close to, someone you can share things with.” he had asked her these questions before, but somehow, they seemed more important to him this time.

“Well…” her eyes widened a bit as she considered the questions. “I, uh I don’t exactly hide in my apartment. I do get out on the weekends… nothing special, but I… No. I don’t have a boyfriend right now. I tend to…” she smirked at him and shook her head, “I sort of scare them off pretty quickly.”

Knowing he shouldn’t go down this road; knowing it wasn’t exactly ethical, he asked her anyway, “Do you like hockey?”

Her eyes sparkled as he changed the subject yet again, “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. I haven’t been to a game in quite a while, but I used to go a lot!”

He nodded, diving in, “I happen to have tickets for tomorrow night’s game, and no one to go with. Would you be interested?”

Ellie was caught off guard. Was he actually asking her out? Or was he offering to give her the tickets so she could go with someone else?

“I can pick you up early and we can grab a bite to eat before we get there. How does that sound?” He was on a roll now and figured they may as well make it a real date.

“Ellie? What do you think?” he asked as she gaped at him in surprise.

“Uh… sure. That sounds…perfect!”   Just then Joanne buzzed and looking at his watch Sebastian answered, sounding only slightly annoyed.

Ellen, realizing that their time was up began to gather her things. Sebastian moved closer to her and spoke softly. “I’ll pick you up at 5:30, alright?”

“I’ll be ready” she smiled at him again as he opened the door for her.

“Good night Miss O’Neill” he winked at her conspiratorially.

“Good night Dr. Stan. Good night Joanne!” she called out, leaving the office happier than he had ever seen her. Dear God… he hoped he was doing the right thing.

                                   

As she left the building, Ellie stopped just outside to absorb what had happened. She had halfway expected Dr. Stan to call her back to his office and tell her it was a mistake. That he couldn’t go out with her, even on a ‘friendly date’… that it wasn’t right.   She had held her breath as she waited for the elevator to open and whisk her away.   Out on the street, the people were focused on their own little worlds, only glancing at each other when necessary to avoid contact. Looking around, she couldn’t decide which way to go; she only knew that she didn’t want to go home yet. He had been right about that, she did live behind those walls much more than she should.

Work kept her busy, and now that she was having weekly sessions with Dr. Stan, sometimes more than once a week, she was putting in a lot of overtime to keep up. That didn’t leave a lot of time to ‘get out.’ And she DID have several girlfriends, who were constantly trying to set her up with men they knew, but none of those had turned into anything more than a couple of dates. There had been one guy though, she liked him a lot, and they seemed to have a certain chemistry that was missing with the others. Unfortunately, on the first night they spent together, her dreams were especially vivid and waking to her gut wrenching screams was apparently more than he could handle. He told her to get help, and she never heard from him again. Enter Sebastian Stan.

Taking a deep breath, Ellen hailed a cab and gave the driver her parent’s address. They probably wouldn’t be home, but she had a key and would let herself in like she always did when she didn’t want go to her own place. Some of her belongings were still packed away there; maybe she would sort through those and find something… special. Or maybe, she would just curl up on their couch and dream of tomorrow night, of spending time with Sebastian… try to figure out what she was feeling for him and why she had said ‘yes’ when she knew it could get him into a lot of trouble.

  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is very short, but in my mind, very important... things are getting real.

 

The following morning, Ellie was rummaging through a box she had found at her parents’ house the night before; bringing it back to her apartment to sort through. Scribbled across the side of the box in black magic marker were the words “Rangers Stuff & Things”.   Peeling the tape back and opening the flaps of cardboard, she immediately felt herself being transported back to ‘the good old days’ when the world was simple and good and right. Pulling the treasures hidden inside out one by one for inspection, she smiled broadly, thinking of the many Friday and Saturday nights she had spent at the Garden, cheering, stomping, laughing, enjoying the action of the game, the antics and enthusiasm of the other fans, and of course those giant pretzels…

She grabbed a folded t-shirt and shook it out for inspection, with a wistful look, “Oh my gosh! #9 Adam Graves!!” She’d had such a crush on him all those years ago and had practically lived in t-shirts or jerseys that advertised that fact. There were also a couple of Messier and Gretzky shirts to complete her collection of favorite players. She found several wristbands, hair ribbons, coasters, koozies, rally rags, trading cards… and there tucked away in a small jewelry box made to look like a puck she found a silver charm bracelet.   Holding it up in the light, it sparkled and gleamed in the sun, the subtle movements of the dozen or so charms holding her attention much longer than a casual observer would consider ‘normal.’

Lost in thought, in hazy memories of the occasions that she had received each charm, Ellie didn’t notice the whispers at first. She didn’t see the shadow that crossed behind her; unnatural and shimmering, it stopped directly behind her, becoming a part of her own shadow on the wall. Suddenly, she felt a presence in the room and she stopped what she was doing. Slowly lifting her eyes, she gritted her teeth and cautiously scanned the room; first left, then right and finally, turning to look behind her.

The voice whispered in her ear, _“ **Little girl… little girl, all alone. No one to hear you scream**_ …” Ellen closed her eyes and covered her ears, speaking out loud, “STOP! I won’t listen to you. I WON’T listen to you!” Remarkably, the voice DID stop, rather abruptly; as if her angry voice had surprised its owner into silence. And yet, she knew that she was not alone. She could sense the ‘other’ one, the one who slithered about, harassing her night and day, though she could not fathom why. WHY did this thing latch onto her? How did it get into her brain? How did she get it out? Those were the questions that had initially sent her to Dr. Stan… the questions she needed answered.

Turning back to the bed where she had been sorting, she found that all of the contents had been swept to the floor. “Oh… very mature, slime ball.” She marched over to the bed and started picking everything up, taking all of the t-shirts to drop them in the washing machine. She would wear one of them to the game tonight, though she hadn’t decided which one yet. She was going to go out with Sebastian, she was going to have a good time and she might even get a goodnight kiss, nightmares, whispers and slime balls be damned!  


*******  


_Evil. Evil is real. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. It is a living, breathing, contemptuous being that has existed sense nearly the beginning of time. Evil comes in many shapes and sizes and forms and colors and varying degrees of authority. It has little fear, no conscience, no mercy, no remorse and many times no reason. Evil is hungry… seeking out the weak, the down-trodden, the angry, the confused, the defeated. Evil is a chameleon, changing into whatever it needs to be to latch on to the poor souls that it needs to feed on._

_Some call evil the devil. Some people claim there is no such thing. Many deny the existence of God and therefore they reason there can be no devil. Their biggest mistake is in believing that what **they** think makes the slightest bit of difference. It doesn’t matter what they, what you, or what I believe. Evil simply IS. And it’s never satisfied. Never takes a break. Evil abounds, surrounding us every minute of every day, in every place. _

_Evil hides itself and is crafty and creative; easily convincing us that **it** is just what we need to be happy. It offers its hand, reaching out to take us in and grant us our wildest dream. Some people are far more capable of resisting than others. But just like “The Terminator”, you can’t stop it, you can’t reason with it and it never goes away. Yeah… evil lives on because it never stops trying, never, ever gives up. Little Ellie O’Neill from Nowhere, USA didn’t stand a chance. Not a chance. ___  
  



	5. Chapter 5

 

Sebastian pulled up to Ellen’s apartment and parked on the street. He got out of the car, and paused for a moment, studying the building, looking for anything that seemed odd or out of place. It all looked pretty standard, no unexplained ladders leaning against the building, the fire escapes in place and seemingly unused for quite some time. Peering up to the 3rd floor, he spotted Ellie’s apartment. No broken windows, closed up tight… If someone was messing with her, they weren’t leaving any kind evidence behind. There was something though… just a feeling he got when he approached the front door, and then grew stronger as he rode the elevator up to her apartment. He had the distinct feeling that he wasn’t alone, though no one else was there with him. As the car came to a stop and the doors slowly opened, he looked around the empty elevator and sneered, whispering “rodents,” as he stepped off.

When Ellen answered the door, he was so struck by her simple beauty, he almost gasped aloud. She smiled prettily and asked him in, looking for all the world like a sorority girl heading out for a night with her beau. That was not him. It couldn’t be him. He had to be very careful… he lost track of his thoughts when she spun around to show off her Adam Graves t-shirt. She literally glowed with happiness. Her blonde hair piled carelessly on top of her head, exposing her long slender neck and the silver that dangled from her ears. If she was actually as young as she looked he could reasonably call her ‘jail bait’.

As it was, he struggled to respond to her question, “How’s it look? Not too much I hope. I haven’t had it out of storage for a few years, I was afraid it wouldn’t fit!” She giggled and he said, “Perfect. You look perfect”

Ellie chuckled again, “Well, thank you sir. You don’t look too awful yourself.”

Sebastian smirked, “Thank you. I really appreciate that.” He wore jeans and a long sleeved white pull over shirt. He sported a gold chain around his neck that was tucked inside the shirt, allowing only a small amount of the precious metal to peek out as he moved. She was duly impressed with his casual look and felt almost childish next to him, wishing now that she had worn a nice, flattering blouse instead of her well-worn tee. Oh well… she couldn’t change now. Soon, they were on their way.  


When they reached the car, he opened her door, but before she could get in he put his hand on her waist saying, “Ellie, I know this is a little awkward. I hope you aren’t uncomfortable… and I would like you to call me Sebastian if you would. Tonight we are friends, not a doctor and his patient. How does that sound?”

“Sounds like a plan, Sebastian,” she nodded at him then took her seat in the car.  


At first the conversation was a little stilted, but by the time they reached the pizza restaurant they were talking and laughing like they had been out together many times before. The meal was delicious; their seats at the Garden were to die for and neither of them could remember ever having had a better time. Ellen was a total fanatic, stomping and chanting with the crowd and standing up to point and yell at the refs when she felt they had blown a call. She really understood the game and was impressed with several of the newer players. Sebastian could not get over her enthusiasm and lack of inhibition. This was not the shy woman who came to his office or called him in the middle of the night, afraid of the boogeyman; he liked the shy woman. He liked **this** one even more.   


After the game, they stopped and had a couple of drinks at a sports bar that was overflowing with Rangers fans, still reveling in that night’s victory. Sebastian kept a hand on Ellie nearly the whole time. Resting on her shoulder, her arm, her back, even her knee a few times as he leaned close to be heard over the noisy celebration. Everything was perfect until a chill shot up her spine, making her gasp and look away from him, unable to keep her eyes from wandering over the crowd, searching. Someone or something unpleasant; she knew it was there with them. She couldn’t see it, but she felt it.

Sebastian felt it too. What the hell was going on? Suddenly Ellen grabbed his upper arm in a death grip, her eyes focused across the room. He followed her gaze and for just a second, a _fraction_ of a second, he saw it. A man? A shadow that tricked the eye and disappeared almost as suddenly as it had appeared?    Sebastian frowned, turning to see how Ellie was reacting, and when he looked back it, the man, was gone.   He felt her slight tremble under his hand and he gave her a squeeze. She was staring at him now, wondering if he had seen it too. He hadn’t reacted as if he had, but she thought he must have seen it.

“Dr. St...” she began…

“No. Ellen, it was nothing. Shadows cast by these low watt lights and flocks of people for them to bounce off of.”  

He pointed to the wall behind her, where she noticed the crazy forms on the wall as the partiers danced and waved and cheered and drank. Just regular people having a good time. She swallowed the lump in her throat and sighed deeply, then looked at him sheepishly.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, it’s no big deal. You do look a little tired though. How about I take you home?” he wanted to get her out of there, as soon as possible. He offered her his arm, and she gladly took it, eager to be gone as well.

The ride home began with Ellie thanking Sebastian for a wonderful evening; offering her apologies if her enthusiasm had embarrassed him, and he assured her that he had enjoyed every minute of it. She carried the conversation for quite a few minutes before growing quiet as they both seemed lost in thought; wondering what might happen once they reached her place.  


******  


Sebastian took her key and unlocked the door for her, then pushed it in slowly waiting for her to make the first move. After just a short pause she asked, “Would you mind coming in for a just moment? I hate coming home to an empty place at night… silly, right?”

He gave her a soft smile, “No. Not silly at all. Shall we?” he waited for her to enter and followed closely behind. She had left a small lamp on, so the room was not dark; in fact it seemed rather cozy and warm to him. Ellie dropped her bag on an empty chair and turned to offer him something to drink and he was right there, so close that she bumped into him.

“Oh! Oooops! …” she laughed nervously as he smiled at her, his eyes full of hungry desire. He took her hand and gently extended her arm upward, twirling her body around so that her back was now pressed to his chest. He crossed both of his arms in front of her, holding her near. He was fighting a battle in his mind; knowing everything he would be risking, knowing how it might affect their personal and professional relationships, knowing it couldn’t be undone…

“Sebastian,” she whispered as his warm breath tickled her ear before his lips gently, tentatively caressed her neck.

“You know,” he growled softly in her ear, “I’m breaking pretty much every rule in the book just by being here with you right now.”

She turned to face him, reaching up to touch his scruffy cheek, “I know. I just don’t know why you would do that, why you are…”

He stopped her, “Yes you do.”

Nodding slightly, her heart racing, she knew she owed it to him to be honest, “Yes. I do.”

He lifted her chin, his mouth capturing hers in a slow, deep kiss that she never wanted to stop. And that was okay, because Sebastian didn’t want to stop, couldn’t stop as he pulled her body close again, the two of them melding into one. His hands found her hair, pulling gently at first, then harder, eliciting a soft moan. She leaned her head back as far as it would go, allowing his lips full access to her neck where he kissed and nibbled and explored with enthusiasm. His body was warm and hard and she felt so safe in his arms…

“Sebastian,” she whispered again, breathless with longing.

He stopped then, pausing for a moment to search her eyes.

“We shouldn’t … I, I should go,” he sounded frustrated, almost angry.

Placing her hand on his chest Ellie asked him, “Do you _want_ to leave?”

Groaning he replied, “No. No I do not.”

“Then stay. Please, stay,” her words were a tender caress to his restless heart.

Lifting her in his arms, he whispered “Are you sure?” and Ellie nodded as she pointed to the bedroom, “Absolutely.”  


The moonlight poured through the slightly open drapes, a large stripe of bright light crossing the bed. He let her down and they stood toe to toe, each of them studying the other. Sebastian reached behind her head to release the clip that somehow continued to loosely hold her hair in place; and as the locks tumbled down and around her face he buried his fingers in the silky mass, holding her there as he once again pressed his lips to hers. His tongue slipped into her welcoming mouth and as they tangled for position, his hands left her hair and trailed a path down her arms one finding its way to her back as the other moved up her t-shirt coming to rest on her breast, squeezing gently at first then a little harder as he found the nipple. Ellie inhaled sharply and he growled in her ear as he let go of her and in one quick move pulled her shirt and bra up and over her head. His lips immediately captured her nipple, kissing and licking each one until they were so hard they ached.

Her hands that had been holding onto his waist in an effort to steady herself under his hungry onslaught of attention, moved quickly to pull at his shirt to free it from his pants and tugged upwards. She wanted to feel his flesh. He let go of her for a moment, allowing her to pull the shirt over his head revealing his broad, muscular chest. Ellie touched him lightly, her fingers tracing over the shape of each bulge, his abs were hard as rocks and she made a small sound of approval as she looked up into his eyes. Her hand slipped lower as she palmed his hardness and his reaction was swift.

Lifting her up he turned and deposited her gently on the bed, kissing her playfully before trailing a hot path of kisses down between her breasts and then moving lower to her waist where he made quick work of removing the remainder of her clothes. Sitting up to unfasten his own pants their eyes met and his never left hers as he stripped off his jeans and boxers. Sebastian lay next to her for a moment, taking in every curve, kissing her body tenderly, yet possessively.

It seemed to Ellie that they were made for each other; he moved and she countered, each of them offering their bodies, their passion, and their very souls up to the other. Sebastian brought her to the edge over and over until she pleaded with him, “My God! Sebastian, please!! Please take me now!”   He teased her just a bit longer before giving her what she wanted; getting what he wanted in return.

Ellie was the pure sweetness hiding a streak of wildness that Sebastian had imagined she would be. Shy at first, she soon opened up to him and gave in to her desires. Sebastian was both exquisitely tender and a little rough; his powerful passion almost frightening at times, but Ellie was deeply moved by his commanding presence and the unrestrained affection that he showered on her. They each filled the needs of the other, talking, laughing, making love over and again until nearly dawn, when Ellie fell into a blissful sleep in Sebastian’s arms.

He smiled into the darkness of the room, relaxed and satisfied, determined to concentrate on what had just happened and not on what ‘might’ happen. He loved the smell of her, the feel of her silky smooth, soft skin. The sounds of pleasure she made at his smallest touch. The feel of her legs wrapped tightly around him, the sweet sensation of her lips as they caressed every inch of his body. He stroked her hair and she murmured contentedly. Yes, this had been the right thing, no matter what else happened.

Gently rearranged his pillow Sebastian pulled Ellie into a more comfortable position, settling down to get some shut eye himself when, for a brief moment, he was certain that he heard someone whispering. Holding his breath, he strained to hear the sound again. It never came and soon he slept as well, a satisfied smile on his face.


	6. Chapter 6

 

The following Tuesday, Ellie was preparing to leave the office early for her scheduled appointment with Sebastian. Her cheeks turned a bright pink, thinking of the weekend they had shared. He had stayed with her that Saturday night and all day and late into the evening on Sunday as well. Although they had spent most of that time in bed, he was amazing out of bed as well; cooking breakfast on Sunday morning, snuggling with her on the couch as they watched a couple of movies on NETFLIX… talking softly, his arms wrapped tightly around her as they stood on her balcony to watch the sunset. She had to admit to herself that she was pretty much in love with him already, even though she knew this could well be a short-lived romance. If that was the case, she intended to savor every single moment of it.

 

Sebastian was nervous; had been for a couple of days. His whole body was like a taut rubber band. His blood pulsed through his veins and he could swear that he felt each beat of his heart. He felt anxious, like something big, something important was very near. He had been swamped on Monday, seeing patients and completing forms and dictating notes that he kept on file. He had planned to call Ellie when he got home, but a few other things came up and he didn’t get in until very late. He didn’t want to disturb her just in case she was actually resting.

When Joanne buzzed to let him know his next patient had arrived, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Then, taking a deep breath, he smiled and walked to the door to meet her.

“Hello Ellie,” he spoke in his normal, ‘doctor’ voice. “Hello Dr. Stan… How are you today?” she followed his lead as he closed the heavy oak door that separated them from the waiting room. Moving to the coat tree, she slipped her jacket off as he watched her closely. In one seamless move he joined her there, grabbing her arms and pressing her firmly against the wall, as he bowed his head to touch his forehead to hers.

“God I’ve missed you,” he groaned in her ear. She lifted her face and his lips met hers, hungry, urgent. His teased her tongue with his, before sliding deeper into her mouth; his lips like fire on hers as she pressed even harder into him, her moans of pleasure swallowed up by his own passion. After a short while, breathing heavy, he stopped to regain his composure. “I’m sorry. That… THIS is not the place.”

Ellen was breathless, unable to speak so she simply nodded as he led her to the chairs, motioning for her to sit as he sat down across from her. He wiped his hand across his face and sighed, giving her a look that nearly made her laugh out loud. Clearing his throat he asked, “How have you been?”

Taking a moment to think about it, she flicked her tongue out and ran it across her bottom lip, “Good. I’ve been good. And you doctor Stan?”

Crinkling his nose and nodding his head slightly he answered “Good. Actually right now, I am really, really good.” He grabbed up his note pad and stared at it, then at Ellie.

“And the dreams?”

With an odd look and the tilt of her head she replied, “I... I haven’t had any dreams. Not for … three night’s now. At least none that I can recall. I hadn’t even noticed!”

Sebastian furrowed his brow, not expecting to hear this news at all. “That’s somewhat… unexpected. No dreams at all?” Thinking about it for a moment she shook her head, as confused as he was … “So, how are you feeling in general? Sleeping better obviously…feeling rested? Relaxed? Relieved? Or a little confused? Maybe anxious, waiting for the other shoe to drop?

She nodded slowly, “Yes…I mean, all of the above. I didn’t like having them, but I’m used to them being there. Now that you’ve brought it to my attention, it does seem very weird that they would just stop like that. You know what I mean?”

“Have you been taking the pills I prescribed for you?”

“Only that first night, and you know how that ended… I don’t get it…” Ellen had a thoughtful look on her face as it occurred to her that the nightmares had stopped the first night Sebastian had stayed with her. She looked at him as he sat there, dark hair swept back, blue eyes twinkling, his five o’clock shadow looking more like midnight on his cheeks, the corners of his mouth twitching, trying to hold back the smirk.

Her eyes grew large and damned if she didn’t blush yet again! He lifted one brow and she lost it, laughing out loud, unable to stop herself.  Shaking his head he told her, “I’m sorry. I WANT to take credit for this small miracle, but I doubt very much that our…uhh… activities had anything to do with it. At least not the lack of dreams…”

“So… what DO you think?” she wondered aloud.

“Well, you tell me. You’ve said that before this past year, the dreams were more sporadic, right? Does this feel like one of those calm times you’ve experienced before?”

“No. Not … I don’t think so. It has been a while, a very long while since I’ve felt so… carefree? Is that the word I’m looking for? I don’t even know.”

“That’s okay. Let’s don’t look a gift horse in the mouth… enjoy it while it lasts and don’t worry about the how or why, alright?”

“So, what do we talk about now?” she smiled at him.

“Would you mind if I put you under? Maybe I can find out what’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours.”

Ellen agreed and moved to the recliner where she leaned back and relaxed as she listened to his soothing voice while he eased her from this reality to the one hidden just under the surface. Thirty minutes later, she opened her eyes and sat up, once again remembering nothing of what they had discussed.

“How’d we do?” she asked.

He hesitated for a moment then smiled, “You actually weren’t in a very cooperative frame of mind. In fact, you ignored most of my questions.”

“I ignored them? Did I say _anything_?”

He snorted and smiled, “You said a whole lot of something… but I couldn’t understand a word of it. At first I thought it was Latin, but I know a good bit of Latin and like I said, I couldn’t pick out a single word that I recognized. Do you speak any other language?”

“No… not really. Just like everybody, I know a phrase or two in a couple of languages, but no, I don’t speak fluent anything, other than English.”

He nodded. “That’s what I thought. I’m a little befuddled by it. You definitely had a point to get across... I just have no clue what it was.” Seeing Ellie’s expression, he assured her, “It’s nothing to worry about. There are many documented cases of patients under hypnosis, or upon waking from a coma or even from extensive surgery, speaking in a language foreign to their own. Not a big deal.”

Only it WAS a big deal. Sebastian had NEVER seen or heard anything like it. They finished up their session, and he kissed her, unable to stop himself, and then with a promise to call her later he opened the door and wished her a good evening. As soon as she was out the door, he asked Joanne to hold his calls. The man who should have been his next patient had cancelled, so he had an extra hour to do some research on archaic languages. *  


As Ellie left the office building, she shivered in a sudden cool breeze and then quickly looked behind her. She thought she had heard someone calling her name, but she didn’t recognize any of the faces around her. This feeling of a being watched or followed had progressed from being occasional to typical, but for some reason it did not concern her as much as it did Sebastian. Determined that the happiness she had been feeling the past couple of days would not disappear, she shrugged her shoulders and walked on to the subway, never noticing the man who trailed behind, just out of her sight.

*****

 

Three weeks passed and there were no more dreams; no more whispering sounds. Ellen was thrilled. She slept like a baby, soaking in the relief of undisturbed nights; relishing the simple pleasure of closing her eyes to sleep and opening them again hours later, feeling refreshed and ready for a new day. Sebastian wasn’t as pleased.   One evening at her apartment she mentioned to him that she realized that she actually WAS dreaming... but she dreamed of **nothing**. That was the only way she could describe it, she dreamed of nothing versus not having any dreams. It was damn peculiar; and worrisome, though he wasn’t sure why. He had never dealt with anything like this.  


So now Ellen was speaking in an undetermined language, dreaming of nothingness and suffering the sensation that she was ‘not alone’. It didn’t feel right, but of course Sebastian didn’t let on how concerned he was. She was doing so much better, the change in her was subtle and yet wonderful to behold. She smiled almost all the time, she laughed and teased and had boundless energy. Energy to spare…they spent the night together every chance they got, being as discreet about their relationship as they could be. However, he could tell that Joanne was getting suspicious and he didn’t like having to worry about someone seeing the two of them together when they went out in public. The next time she came in to the office he told her he wanted to stop treating her and recommend another doctor.

Ellen had actually cried at the news. She trusted him implicitly and she knew in her heart that he was the one who could help her. She didn’t want to start over with someone else… didn’t think that she even could.

“Please Sebastian, please don’t abandon me! I can’t do this without you… I just can’t.”

“Ellie,” he wrapped his arms around her, I’m not abandoning you!! I simply can’t be objective about the situation any more. I care too much for you. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop ‘seeing’ you and helping you any way that I can. I just can’t do it professionally. And besides, I’m tired of trying to hide our relationship.”  She accepted his explanation but he couldn’t get her to commit to seeing another doctor. She could be quite stubborn at times…

 

Sebastian loved being with her in every way. Yes, the sex was extremely satisfying, but it was so much more than that. He felt a sense of completeness when they were together. He shared things with her that he had never told anyone else. He trusted her and enjoyed a certain sense of peace when they were together, something else that he had never felt before, not with anyone. He was more open and honest with her than he had ever been with anyone; ever… although he was still hesitant to confess that he had heard the whispering sounds on a few occasions now.

 

Sebastian Stan had always been a bit of an enigma, as much to himself as anyone else. He spent his days listening to people’s deepest, darkest secrets, their hopes, their fears, their desires and the tumultuous details of how everything fell apart. Most times he was able to help, simply by letting his patients talk and work through the anguish. Some of them were easy to help, while others, Ellie included, defied everything he thought he knew about the human psyche. He enjoyed his work, but his weekends were his; his time to pull the plug, take his mind off of the troubles of the world; to chill out and just be who he was.

He had spent a great many of his weekends alone for a very long time. Of course he would go out on the town with friends now and then where women were a dime a dozen and quite easy to coerce into his bed for a night or two; or he might make the occasional medical convention where he was never short of female company, or if nothing else, he could hit any bar in town and find someone to follow him home. None of them compared to Ellie. None of them satisfied the way she did. None of them moved him as she did. Not one of them even came close. So was it any wonder that now he looked forward to the weekends not for the solace it offered, but for the companionship of one particular woman?

They were planning on a quiet evening tonight; he was picking her up for an early dinner then they would return to his apartment for ‘movie night’ as she called it. He snorted, wondering just how much of the movie they would actually watch before their base desires overwhelmed them and they found themselves wrapped in the sheets, their bodies intertwined in the throes of passion.   He smiled a wicked little grin, certain that it wouldn’t take long at all.


	7. Chapter 7

 

Ellie wasn’t feeling very well. She woke that morning with a dull throbbing headache which had escalated as the day went on. She felt weak and slightly nauseous. She went in to the office, but honestly didn’t accomplish very much, just pushing papers around and doodling during an afternoon staff meeting. She didn’t notice that several people watched as she scribbled on page after page of her notebook, wondering what on earth she found so interesting that she had to write it down. When the meeting was over, she quickly excused herself and hurried back to her office where she realized what she had done.

Oblivious of her actions, she had drawn a detailed artistic sketch of some kind of chamber, with piles of dead or dying creatures lying against the walls; which appeared to be made of stone. Dark shadows fell over most of the room but in the center there sat a throne made of bones. She gasped as she took in her own handiwork, shocked and amazed by what she had drawn. The rest of the pages were filled with some kind of writing that made no sense to her. A cold chill ran up her spine as she folded the pages and stuck them in her bag. She would have to show them to Sebastian, but a part of her didn’t want to. She thought she might rather have the dreams back than deal with this.  


A few hours later Ellen was home, taking more pain pills and wondering if she should bow out of her date with Sebastian. Her head still pounded and though the nausea had passed, she just didn’t feel right. She should stay home. She didn’t think she would be decent company and would much rather curl up on the couch and watch television, with her eyes closed of course.   However, when she answered the knock on her door and found him standing there with a dozen red roses and a devilish grin on his face, she was besieged by a rush of happiness that made her feel a thousand times better.

“Oh…Sebastian, these are beautiful! Thank you so much! What’s the occasion?” she kissed him appreciatively.

“No occasion… I just wanted to. I have been terribly lax with this whole ‘wooing’ thing, and I apologize for that. You deserve to be treated special, flowers and candy and walks in the park. Even a chick flick now and then. I promise to be more attentive from now on.” He watched as she located a vase stowed in the pantry and filled it with water. As she unwrapped the roses, pulling the tissue paper away he said, “Be careful, there are quite a few...”

“Ouch!” Ellie yelped.

“… thorns. Damn it. I should have said something sooner. I’m sorry baby, let me help.” He took the flowers from her and turned on the cold water, holding her hand under it to wash away the blood and hopefully some of the pain. Ellie watched all of this almost in a fog, how could she have been so stupid? It was roses, roses had thorns…right? It suddenly felt as if time froze, Sebastian holding her hand, the water flowing, the ache in the tender skin at the base of her thumb and forefinger continued as her head swam with words, words she didn’t recognize. The sensation only lasted a few seconds, but when her head cleared, Sebastian was staring at her with a perplexed look on his face.

“What?” she asked as she pulled her hand away and dried it on a paper towel, then reached into a drawer and pulled out a Band-Aid.

“What were you just saying?” Sebastian asked softly.

“I…did I say something?” her heart started beating a little faster.

“Ellie, you were doing the strange gibberish thing again. And you sounded really desperate… baby, are you okay? Did something happen today?”

With a sigh, she finished putting the roses in water and moved to stand in front of him, taking his hands in hers looking almost embarrassed. She told him about her day, the strange scribbling that she had done during the meeting and then she pulled the papers out of her purse. Sebastian studied them briefly, shaking his head. Seeing the distress on her face he smiled and hugged her to his chest, mumbling into her hair, “I don’t want you to worry about this. I know it seems very strange and confusing, but I have seen a lot of strange and confusing things in my line of work. Trust me, okay?”

Sebastian kissed her, deftly ignoring the questions he could see in her eyes. “Do you mind if I take these papers with me? I have a friend who is a linguistics professor. He is really a whiz at sniffing out even the most forgotten dialect. Perhaps he can help us find what we are looking for.”

“Oh, yes of course! That sounds like a good idea.”

“Now, how is your hand?” he lifted it and kissed the spot covered by the band-aid.

“Oh, it’s fine… and again, thank you so much for the flowers. I really needed the lift today… And if it makes you feel better, please DO feel free to woo me all you want… just, woo away!”

Sebastian laughed, asking her if she was ready to go. Forgetting all about her headache, and earlier malaise, she grabbed her bag and his arm saying, “Let’s go!!”

******

******

Sebastian wasn’t a religious man per se’ but he didn’t completely rule out the possibility of some greater, more powerful being. In all of its majesty, surely humans were not the best that the universe had to offer; that just didn’t seem likely to him. And, if there were indeed ‘higher powers’ it followed that some were good and some were not. He thought again of the words that Ellie had spoken and the gruesome picture she had drawn, totally unaware. Factoring in her dreams, he reasoned some people might consider that there was something supernatural behind it all. Luckily he was too much of a skeptic to consider it a real possibility…

At any rate, he had taken the pages of scribble, along with the sketch that Ellen had done to his friend several days ago and was hoping to hear back from him soon.   Ellie was still doing well; still no nightmares and dreaming of nothing. He had been scouring case after case related to dreams, and had found very little that was more than simple conjecture.

Meanwhile, he himself had struck the dream jackpot. Every night he dreamed of ‘stuff’…most of it didn’t make any sense, and appeared to have little importance, as most dreams seem to do. However, he had on a couple of occasions, dreamed of a large field of yellow flowers, but the day never grew dark like Ellie’s dream did, and he thought it better not to bring the topic up with her. And then there was Ellie… He dreamed of her a LOT; Ellie laughing at his poor attempts to make a joke; sitting quietly reading or watching television with him by her side; her hair blowing in the wind as they walked in the nearby park, the air so cold he could see her breath rise and swirl around her.   Ellie, smiling up at him from his pillow; her eyes filled with passion and love. Those dreams, those were so vivid he often woke from them covered in sweat, breathing hard, as if she had actually been there beneath him.

And through it all, he felt that something was ‘off’. Not with Ellie, she was the one constant he could put his faith in; it was just a feeling that things were not as they seemed. It was like he was on the edge of remembering something long forgotten. Something important...

“Jesus!” he snorted out loud, “I’ve been watching too many of those horror movies that El loves so much. No wonder she’s had nightmares for so long!  He pulled a clean shirt from the closet and brushed his thick hair back with his fingers. He was going to meet up with some of his buddies for a sort of guy’s night out. He didn’t expect it would be much more than drinking and a few card games; but he hadn’t seen a couple of the guys for quite some time and looked forward to catching up. He figured that if the group broke up early enough, he would make his way to Ellie’s apartment, where he should probably be going in the first place.

He exhaled loudly, wondering how this impish vixen had come to have so much control over his comings and goings. He’d had quite the reputation of using women in the past… not in a hurtful, crass way of course, but he had never thought of himself as the type to settle down. He had never been ‘in love’ whatever that meant, other than the hormone driven lust of youth. Once he got serious about his studies and set his sights on becoming a psychiatrist, he had been single mindedly focused on that, only dating when he was… in need of female companionship for a night or two. It had worked out well and he had kept up that practice with few unfortunate exceptions, until now. And then Ellie came along. From that first meeting in his office, he had seen and felt how different things could be, how different they were; the way he cared for her, the way he was drawn to her, the pleasure of being with her… he believed that she was in fact the first woman he had ever truly loved. He should probably tell her that… and he would. When it seemed like the right time, he would.

 

Ellie’s plan for that evening was curling up with a good book and tall glass of ice cold Coke. She turned on a little background music, for ambiance (or so she told herself…in truth, she got nervous when the place was too quiet).   Working those extra hours and spending so much time with Sebastian had really taken a chunk from her reading time. In fact, since meeting Sebastian, she had left a lot of things by the wayside. NOT that she was complaining you understand. She could not imagine her life without him; could barely remember what life was like before him. He made her feel safe and secure; he made her laugh and feel happy for the first time in a long time. He made her feel beautiful and sexy and above all, he made her feel loved. He had never told her that he loved her, not in so many words, but she believed that he did. Anyway she hoped so, because she would sell her very soul for him; she loved him that much.

She had told Sebastian that she loved him; a couple of times in fact. The first time, he had frozen up and looked like he was in shock. She had been a little surprised by his reaction, but had quickly smoothed it over by telling him that it was ok if he didn’t say it back; that she just wanted him to know how she felt. To be perfectly honest, she had been fairly crushed on the inside, but thought that she had done a good job of covering that up.  

With a soft sigh, she lay her book down, stood and stretched. Picking up her cell phone, she was surprised to see that a couple of hours had passed since she first sat down. Looking at her book, she HAD flipped a lot of pages, but it didn’t feel like she had been reading that long. She hit the bathroom and when she came out she grabbed her glass and dumped the melted ice, refilling it quickly and headed back to couch. When she reached for her book, it was gone. Simply, gone.

“What the hell?” she mused out loud. “I know it was… it was right here!” She looked under the couch, between all of the cushions and on the table next to the couch. Biting her lip she walked through the small dining area, into the kitchen thinking that just maybe, she had carried it with her when she re-filled her glass. Nope, not there. Okay, now she was starting to freak out a little bit… she didn’t think she had carried it to the bathroom, or did she? Right now she wasn’t certain of anything.

Reaching in and flipping the switch so the small room was fully lit, and she took a quick glance and could see the book was not there. All of a sudden she was struck by the feeling that someone was in the apartment with her. A shiver ran up her spine, her knees turned to wet noodles and she didn’t have the strength (or was it courage?) to even turn to look behind her. The hair on the back of her neck stood at attention as she felt a warm breath there. She wanted so badly to believe that Sebastian had slipped in while she had been occupied for those few minutes; wanted to believe that it was his breath causing her neck and arms to break out with goose bumps. But she knew it wasn’t. It was ‘him’. It was that shadowy figure that followed her from her dreams to haunt her waking hours.

 

After all of these weeks, it was back. It was in her apartment. It was right there behind her. As her veins filled with ice water and her whole body started to tremble, she thought of Sebastian. He told her it was not real. He told her that she was manifesting this thing in her mind. That she had nothing to fear from it because it wasn’t REAL. This sure felt real. Her heart pounding, breath coming in painful gulps, she spoke aloud. “Go away! Leave this place! I command you to be gone! _Etsi nüllaan an oge en Kailfernum troovea eksdamnaskek! Get out!”_

Suddenly, calmness fell over her and she took a deep breath. Her hands were balled up in fists at her sides and her expression would have frightened many a small child should any have been around. She turned to survey the room and stood there in the doorway of the bathroom while her breathing slowed. Had she looked up, she might have noticed the swirl of light nestled next to the ceiling, might have felt the warmth from it; and perhaps, had she listened closely, she may even have heard the voices rising in celebration.


	8. Chapter 8

 

As the blood began to return to her extremities, which had gone cold as ice the moment she felt its breath on her neck, a tiny smile lifted the corners of her mouth. She looked around the room once more then returned to the couch where, of course, her book lay just as she had left it. Ellie started giggling, then laughing softly, then nearly howling with laughter.   She felt as though she had won an important, unseen battle. She felt strong and … powerful. Feelings she had never experienced before. She grabbed her phone and whipped up a text for Sebastian:

 

_“Hi handsome!_

_You will never believe what just happened here. In fact, I almost don’t believe it,  
_but I was a part of it and I know its true. It was real.__

_When you boys finish up, please stop by. I really need to talk to you. I know for  
sure I won’t be sleeping tonight! Please come if you can. I love you,_

_Ellie”_  
  


Sebastian, who had just folded out of the 4th game in a row felt his phone vibrate and excused himself from the next hand. Grabbing a cold beer, he stepped out of the room and found a quiet place where he could read the message. He knew it was from Ellie. Who else? He read the text a couple of times. She didn’t seem terribly upset, but clearly wanted to see him. He chugged down half of the liquid in the bottle he held, then texted back:  


_“Hey doll,_

_I trust that if this was urgent, you would CALL me and not contact me by text. However,_  
having said that, it seems that my desire to be with you will win out over my desire to  
be with old friends. 

_You see what you have done to me? I will bow out of here as quickly as I can, and be_  
with you soon. …  
I love you too.

_Sebastian”_  
  


He started to erase that last line, surprised that he had even typed it out. He kept looking at those four words as if they would disappear of their own accord. They didn’t. And he didn’t erase them, hitting the send button and chugging down the rest of his beer. He walked back to the table and started the ritual of saying goodbye to everyone. Several of the men raised a ruckus proclaiming that it was still early and he should stay. He told them he was happy to see them all and that he would host the next gathering, but that he had to leave to take care of something.

“ahhh... what the fuck!! What’s her name Seb? Can’t she wait? Since when do you worry about what your latest piece of…”

Sebastian stopped his friend right there. “Don’t. This woman is different. Like no one I have ever known.”

“Are you serious man? I never thought I would see the day! She **must be** something special to have you so pussy whipped!” Laughter broke out around the table and Sebastian just nodded, then bent down and grabbed the man by his collar, practically lifting him from his chair. The other faces gathered around the table looked on in surprise. On occasion Sebastian, having had too much to drink, had broken from his normal bored, aloof veneer that they all knew and admired, but this… this was different. His actions were not laid back and his voice held a serious timbre that was almost frightening. “I am asking you nicely to stop. I don’t want to hear it, I really don’t. She **is** special and you would do well to remember that,” he let go of the man and patted him on the shoulder. Nodding to the others at the table he wished them a good night, then walked to the pile of coats and pulled his out, putting it on, along with the scarf Ellie had bought for him. He dug in his pocket for his keys then remembered that he had come in a cab. He decided the subway would be just as fast and give him a few minutes to sober up and clear his head on the way to her place.

 

Moments later, having all but forgotten his actions at the card table, he waited for his train, wondering what could have happened at Ellie’s. Her text didn’t sound like she was frightened, more excited than anything. But _something_ had happened, and he couldn’t even guess what it was… He caught a movement, just out of the corner of his eye and turned to see who was joining him. No one was there. Well, he’d had quite a bit to drink he reasoned with himself. He tapped his foot a few minutes later, growing impatient for the next train. Suddenly he knew he wasn’t alone and moved away from the edge of the platform, just in case. Then he heard the whispers… maybe. It was so soft and so quick and the station itself was filled with echoes and a constant movement in the air. Maybe he was mistaken?

A small group of people came down the stairs and joined him on the platform. Their laughter and constant chatter effectively drowned out any chance of hearing the sound again.   A very pretty blonde stood next to him and ‘accidentally’ brushed his hand with hers.

“Excuse me,” she said softly, looking up at him with big blue eyes. He gave her the smallest of smiles and looked away, as if he was trying to see if the train was coming. After just a moment, it DID come to a squealing halt in front of them. He stood back and allowed the group to climb on before he followed, giving one last glance behind and seeing nothing.

Moving to a seat a little separate from the group that he boarded with, he sighed deeply and closed his eyes. He listened to the murmur of the others as they discussed the movie they had just come from. It sounded as if they all enjoyed it, although they could not agree on exactly what the ending had meant. Their musings combined with the soft droning sounds around him was soothing and he began to nod off, drifting in and out of sleep. He heard a sharp burst of laughter and opened his eyes to see that several more people were getting on while one or two left the car. Closing his eyes once more, he again drifted along, walking that tight-rope between being awake and not. He started thinking of Ellie and a soft smile crossed his face.

“A penny for your thoughts,” came a soft voice. His eyes snapped open to see the pretty blonde from earlier directly across from him.

“What...” he said aloud, not sure if she was the one who had spoken to him. He needed to keep his eyes open. She smiled at him and looked away, as if she was embarrassed to be caught looking at him.   The train was coming to another stop and as the doors slid open, she smiled at him in a way that made him feel quite uneasy. He nodded and watched her step off the train then disappear. Not walk away, not mingle in with the large crowd of people who were waiting to board the train; she simply disappeared.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Sebastian figured that he was feeling the effects of the alcohol he had consumed. He needed to get a grip on reality before he faced Ellie; he wasn’t sure if he should share the fact that he was experiencing some of the strange ‘symptoms’ that she was; it might undo weeks worth of therapy progress. Walking the rest of the way to her apartment, he decided he needed to wait and hear her news before making any kind of confession of his own.

 

Ellie opened the door, a wide grin on her face. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled Sebastian into her apartment, throwing her arms around him and planting a deep kiss on his mouth. When she finally stepped back, she could see the worry on his face.

“Sebastian! My love!! What has you looking so forlorn? I have faced my demon this night and victory is mine!” She was almost giddy, that sense of power still surging through her veins.

Shaking his head in confusion he asked, “Ellie, what on Earth happened? What do you mean you faced your demon?”

Taking him by the hand she pulled him to the couch where she helped him out of his jacket and patted the spot next to her as she sat down. “Here, sit with me. It was the strangest thing…”

She went on to explain to him the things that had happened that night. How, even in her deepest fear, the words came to her… and the words sent the darkness away. "Isn’t that wonderful?? I mean, if I can do it here, in my apartment, don’t you think I can learn to do it in my dreams too?”

Sebastian was stunned by what she was telling him. His mind raced with the possibilities... and the absolute uncertainly of what his next move should be.

“The darkness? Is that what we are calling it now? Ellie, I don’t know. I… I can’t even think straight. You remember saying the words but do you know what they meant? Sweetheart, you are talking like you believe that someone was actually in the room with you, but you didn’t see anyone. How do you know the words had anything to do with anything?”

“Because I KNOW what I felt Sebastian!!   I don’t really remember exactly what I said, I just know that I was SO scared and suddenly the words were there in my mind, then rolling off my tongue. It was almost as if someone was telling me what to say. I know it sounds crazy but we HAVE to figure out what the words mean…”

Still not sure it was the wisest thing to do, but wanting her to know that she was not in this mess alone, Sebastian decided to tell Ellie the truth; she **needed** to know all of it. “Yes, my friend is still working on the language and I’m sure we will hear something soon. But… I have something to tell you and I’m afraid you aren’t going to be too happy about it.”

Her expression immediately changed to show her concern. “What? What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I just… Please don’t be angry. I didn’t tell you before because I didn’t want you to worry.” With a sigh he continued, “I’ve been dreaming a lot lately; very odd, extremely vivid dreams. And in one of the dreams I am walking in an endless field of yellow flowers.”

Ellie gasped and her eyes grew large. Taking her hand he shook his head. “But that’s all of it… I never find the dirt path or the fence or any of that…so I don’t see any of that other things that you dream of. But I, I believe I have been hearing whispers too. And feeling like I'm being watched: not all the time, but once in a while…”

She was speechless at the moment and could only shake her head and stare at him

“El, its okay… I’M okay. Some things are happening that I don’t understand… that I can’t explain. But it’s not the end of the world and I don’t believe for a moment that either of us is in any kind of danger.” he put his arm around her and pulled her close. They stayed that way for a few minutes, until they were both startled by the ringing of Sebastian’s phone.

He grabbed it from his jacket and looking to see who it was, he motioned to Ellie to stand by. It was his friend, the professor.

“David? Hello! I take it you have some information for me?”

“Seb, my friend, I hope I didn’t wake you, though knowing you, I doubt that it is likely. Look man, the craziest thing. I’m almost embarrassed to tell you. I was having a hell of a time translating the pages you brought to me, even though I was certain that they were an Aramaic dialect of some kind. On a whim, I went on line and found this web site guaranteed to be able to translate any language. I plugged in the info and … son of a bitch!”

“What? You found it? On-line?” Seb was a little ticked that he hadn’t even thought of using the all mighty internet.

“I found it all right… and you aren’t going to believe it.”

He had put his phone on speaker, so Ellie could listen in, now he was afraid that may have been a mistake. But she had a right to know so he said, “Go on.”

“I don’t know who your friend IS, but she may have some very powerful friends… not the kind you want to mess with.”

“David… Ellie is here with me listening in. We would really appreciate it if you could just tell us what we are dealing with.”

“oh… Hello Ellie, sorry if I sound freaked out, but the truth is, I am.   The language you wrote, the language you were speaking is from a book called The Verbis Diablo… ever heard of it?”

She looked at Sebastian, shaking her head. He looked stunned and asked his friend, “Words of the Devil? Are you… are you being serious right now? Because this is not funny.”

Ellie shook her head not understanding what the significance of the book truly was. It had been released in its revised print about six years previous, going viral with the oddball types who were into black magic and devil worship. Of course it had never even been a blip on her radar. Sebastian could see that she was upset. Her perfect, happy mood now completely destroyed by his confession and David’s discovery. It could be a long night.

“Ellie... Ellie… let’s hold on a minute. David are you sure about this? I mean, there are several knock off books based on several different languages. How can you be sure this is the real thing?”

“That’s just it! Ellie’s version IS a real language… an obscure dialect of Aramaic that basically ‘died’ thousands of years ago. The only way I know, or at least suspect that we have hit the jackpot is because of some of the repetitive phrases in Ellie’s writings. They are word for word the same as a few of the samples I found from that book. I’m sorry Ellie; I really don’t mean to upset you.”  

She could feel her knees going weak as she rested her butt against the back of the couch and Sebastian put his arm around her waist, pulling her close. “It’s okay man. I appreciate you taking the time to do the research. Can you send me everything that you have come up with?”

“Of course… I’ll put your originals and what I have found together and messenger them to you in the morning.   You two have a good night.”

“Thanks Dave... good night.”

 

They stood there, side by side for a long time. Ellie wouldn’t look at him and he wanted to give her the time she needed to process what his friend had told them. Personally, he didn’t think for a minute that she had known what she had been writing. And he didn’t believe that she had memorized some long dead language either. This was just more of the same madness that had been happening lately.

Finally, he could feel her body relaxing a little as she inhaled deeply and exhaled a loud sigh.

“Sebastian…you don’t… I mean, you don’t think I’m making this whole thing up, do you? Do you think I’ve been lying to you? Do you think I’m crazy?”

Turning to stand directly in front of her, he placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her head up to look into her eyes. “No. I don’t think any of that. I know you Ellie... I believe in you. And besides, if you are crazy, then I’m in the same boat, because I’ve been having dreams and hearing whispers and feeling the same things that you have. We are going to figure this out, I promise you.” He kissed her lightly on the mouth and she nodded slightly before burying her face in his chest.   He hugged her tightly not knowing what he could do to make her feel better.

After a few minutes he asked her, “um… did you get the text I sent to you earlier?”

Lifting her head she looked at him curiously. “No… I didn’t. I guess I just assumed you would drop everything and come running to rescue me like you always do.”

He smiled at her, “That’s my job. But maybe you should read it…”

She was already looking around for her phone and spotted it on the floor beside the couch.

“All right. Let me take a peek.” She opened up her messages and quickly scanned his response. Her eyes locked on the screen, she paused as she sucked in some air, to replenish that which had been knocked out of her by his simple words. Lifting her eyes to his she asked softly, “You love me?”

“I love you,” he confirmed before pulling her into his arms and searching her face. “I’m sorry I wasted so much time waiting to tell you. I’ve loved you for a very long time now. And I plan on loving you for much, much longer.”

“Longer?” she teased him, her heart swelling with joy.

“Much longer,” he answered with a serious look. “I intend to love you forever.”

They kissed then, and for the moment at least, all talk of dreams and whispers and words that don’t exist vanished as all they could think of was each other.

 

Two weeks passed. And there was nothing. The days were bright and sunny, if extremely cold. The nights found them together more often than not. When Sebastian received the information from David, he took it to Ellie’s so they could look at it together. She stared at the pages, and looked at the translations that were typed out on a separate page. None of it was familiar or made any sense to her.   They considered going on-line to see what they could find, but decided against it. Why add fuel to the fire?

After the first week, Sebastian told her to pack a bag for a long weekend. When she demanded to know why, he would only tell her they were going on a short get-away and that she needed to take Thursday and Friday off from work… and to pack her swimsuit… or not.   After only a small hesitation she smiled and said okay, the thought of getting away and having him all to herself was impossible to resist.

They ended up on a very secluded beach in southern Florida. The water was warm and the skies were blue and they took advantage of every moment. Whether laying on the beach soaking up the sun, wading out into the mostly shallow waters and splashing each other like children in a kiddie pool; sitting on their veranda watching the glorious sunsets, or snuggled in each other arms on the king-sized bed that they made very good use of... it was the perfect get-away. All too soon, they were climbing back on a plane for their return trip.

 

At the airport, Sebastian stepped outside of the terminal to hail a cab, and in no time they were settled in the back seat for the ride to his apartment. Ellie was spending the night there with him since his place was closer to the airport and she had taken Monday off as well. They talked softly as they drove along and she pulled out her phone so they could look at some of the pictures she had taken. They flipped through the photos and laughed or commented on every one of them. It had been a wonderful weekend.

 

Ellie didn’t notice when Sebastian’s eyes locked with those of the cab driver. They were at a stop light less than a block away from his place and she was busy looking for one picture in particular to forward a copy to her mom.  As the cab pulled up to his building, both men jumped out, breaking the intense eye contact. Sebastian opened Ellie’s door while she clamored out; her purse tipping over and some of the contents spilling onto the sidewalk. She stooped to gather the items and he patted her on the shoulder mumbling about grabbing their suitcases and paying their fare.

As he handed the money over to the driver, the man grabbed his wrist tightly. “What??” Sebastian’s voice caught in his throat as once again he stared into the liquid eyes of the other man. He couldn’t gauge how much time passed before he roughly jerked his arm free and spat out “Keep the change,” as he carried the bags over to Ellie who had just jumped up to see what was happening.

“Sebastian? What is it? What’s going on?” He could hear the concern in her voice and he turned to assure her that he was fine, but in truth he felt as if his very mind had been violated. “Sebastian?”

“I’m… sorry. I’m okay Ellie. Must be that hot dog I ate at the airport,” he rubbed his stomach trying to make light of the situation. Once they were inside, he was so quiet that Ellie questioned him again about how he was feeling, and again, he chose to ignore that anything had happened. He smiled brightly and made the effort to convince her that he was okay; even as a soft ringing echoed through the back of his mind.

 

_Driving away from the corner where he had left Dr. Stan and Ellen O’Neill, the driver relaxed his face and allowed the mask he wore to crinkle and loosen. He traveled down several blocks, turning rights and lefts, no real destination in mind. Finally, he came to a park and turned in, parking at the edge of the lot under cover of several large trees that grew there.   He could barely contain his excitement. He’d had them both in his reach, totally unaware of their vulnerability; neither of them recognizing him. He giggled in a sickening high pitched way and his mask fell completely away. Over the years, he had studied many books of magic and curses and spells, deciding that the ability to blend in with his background would be of the utmost use to him. After years of practice in the sanitarium, he was now able to literally hide in plain sight. Using his trickery, he had been able to walk right past all of the orderlies and security and walk away right under their noses. He had been in Ellie’s apartment that day. He had been in Sebastian’s closet, barely escaping discovery as the man searched for the noises he heard that night. He had followed them for weeks with no problem._

_When he looked in the mirror, he did not see the mottled skin or the vacant eyes that were no longer his own. In his mind, he saw himself as a young man, always quiet, but popular with the ladies. How Ellie had managed to keep her eyes averted from his in the cab, he could only guess. But Dr. Stan had noticed that he kept watching her and clearly he didn’t like it. Roland smiled an oddly beautiful smile as he nodded and spoke to no one, “Just wait Dr. Stan. Just wait and see what I have in mind for your precious Ellie._

_Growing hard as he considered the things he would do to her, he ripped open his trousers and put his hand to good use, spewing his foul seed all over the front seat before exiting and walking away, leaving the cab there under the trees._


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit of a roller coaster ride... hang on!

 

Several weeks passed, and as the ringing sound in his head faded away, so did the anxious feelings that both he and Ellie had been plagued with. Neither of them were having nightmares or hearing whispers. For the first time since they had met, everything seemed perfectly normal, even while Sebastian struggled with his own workload; as well as agreeing to assist the police on a case that was soon to be handed over to the Feds. It was tedious work, especially when he had so many restrictions on his testimony, but he felt it was important to get the suspect off the streets.

Through all of that his relationship with Ellie was progressing naturally as they fell deeper and deeper in love and Sebastian made good on his promise to be more attentive, sending her flowers at work, stopping by her office to take her out to lunch, surprising her with gifts on a regular basis and even though they both preferred to spend their nights alone together, they had attended a couple of fancy nights out on the town.

Tonight was a little different; they were going to join several of Sebastian’s colleagues at a ‘fancy dinner function’ where he could “show her off” as he had phrased it. Ellie was surprised when the delivery man brought a large box to her door, asking her to sign for the package. Seeing that it was from Sebastian, she shook her head, wondering what he had done now. Thanking the man, she closed the door and turned to carry the box to the table so she could open it. A sudden chill sent a shiver down her spine and goose bumps up her arms. It dawned on her that she had left the window cracked open to allow a little fresh air into her place. She had been staying with Sebastian so often that her apartment had acquired a slightly musty odor.

After closing the window, she turned to the package and opened it carefully, finding a note card on top of the tissue paper, which she quickly pulled open and read:  


_Ellie,_

_Please do me the honor of wearing this tonight. I know you have plenty of lovely dresses already,_  
but I saw this one in a store window and thought of you …  
  
I already know how good you will make it look and can’t wait to see it on you. 

_Yours,  
_

__

_Sebastian_

 

Pulling the tissue paper back, Ellie lifted the dress from the box… it was stunning, form fitting, deep red velvet and extremely… short! It wasn’t something she would ever have chosen for herself, but because Sebastian apparently liked it, she bit her lip and decided to give it a try. But that wasn’t the end of the surprise. There was also a lovely black lace shawl, a coordinated clutch bag and… a jeweler’s box. Taking the smaller box in both hands, she gently lifted the lid to reveal a pair of diamond earrings that made her gasp at their beauty; three diamonds on each earring, increasing in size as they dangled and sparkled and adorned each ear.

She couldn’t accept them. The outfit alone must have cost a pretty penny; but the earrings? They were simply too much. Noting the time, she placed everything back in the shipping box and carried it to her bedroom. She needed to start getting ready, beginning with a quick shower.

 

Just over an hour later, she opened the door to let Sebastian in. He stared at her wide eyed, the dress looking even better on her shapely figure than he had imagined it would. It fit her perfectly, hugging her body snugly where it should and leaving just enough to the imagination; he could already feel a stirring in his loins. She had pinned her hair up and as she did a slow spin for him, he noticed she wasn’t wearing his other gift.   A slight frown crossed his face as he spoke…

“You didn’t like the earrings? I thought they were perfect.”

“Sebastian I love them… but I can’t possibly accept such an expensive gift! You’ve given me so much already…”

“Ellie, I bought them for you. I want you to have them… please don’t refuse a gift that comes from my heart.”

“… but… Sebastian… I…”

His blue eyes had gone very dark and for a moment she felt that he was really angry with her.

“Sebastian?” she spoke softly and he smiled widely.

“Put them on, for me, please?”

Unable to form an argument that she felt was likely to change his mind, Ellie nodded and headed to her bedroom to retrieve the earrings from her dresser. Sebastian had been right of course, they looked stunning, as if they were made for her and that particular dress. Taking her in his arms, he surprised her by going straight to her décolletage, placing hungry kisses on the cleavage showing around the top of the dress, taking her breath away. She laughed nervously and he growled his approval of the outfit, offering his arm to escort her down to their waiting ride.

 

When they arrived at the Plaza Hotel, Ellie squealed with delight… she had never attended an event there and she was as thrilled and giggly as a school girl. Unfortunately, her joy was somewhat short lived as not long after their arrival, something changed. It was nothing big… and nothing that she could even put into words exactly. She was certain that no one else even noticed. It was Sebastian… he simply was not himself. He smiled and greeted his friends; introducing Ellie, including her in their conversations and making her feel comfortable. Only she wasn’t comfortable at all. There was a nervous energy about him that she had never felt before. And throughout the evening, he made a few off the cuff comments that seemed totally out of character for him.

Maybe she was overanalyzing… maybe it was her own insecurities surfacing and being around all of the well-educated doctors and scholars had her on edge. After a couple of hours of what felt to her like endless banter regarding the newest discoveries in this theory or that treatment, she excused herself to visit the ladies room and instead of immediately returning to Sebastian’s side, Ellie chose to visit the enclosed terrace garden. There were beautiful flowering plants and bushes and fairy lights lit the entire room with a magical glow. She wandered down the cobblestone path, taking it all in, her mind a thousand miles away as a dark figure walked up behind her and whispered in her ear.

“I thought I would find you out here,” Sebastian spoke softly, his warm breath sending a pleasant tingle through her body.

Turning to look up at him, Ellie was shocked when he grabbed her in a firm grip and started peppering kisses on her neck and across her bare shoulder. She looked around to see if anyone was watching but it was clear that **he** didn’t care if there were.

“Sebastian, what has gotten into you? … Stop!” she whispered even as her treacherous body responded to his touch.

His voice a low rumble, he guided her to a dark corner, mostly hidden from view. Pushing her against the edge of a beautiful marble, wall mounted water feature, he kissed her lips hard, stopping only long enough to whisper gruffly, “God I want you so bad… I need you baby.”

As his hands roamed down her back, past her waist and hips, Ellie squirmed and tried to **make** him stop as she looked into his eyes hissing, “Sebastian, no!… Stop… We can’t do this... **I** can’t do this.” He stared at her and she inhaled sharply… not recognizing the dark eyes that looked back at her. This… this was not the Sebastian she knew and loved. She was terrified and yet, somehow, intrigued.

With no warning, his right hand found the hem of her skirt and snaked up to touch her panties. Nearly frantic now, Ellie gasped again and tried to pull away from him but Sebastian was like a wolf on the prowl, single minded and determined. He stroked the silky material covering her already aching mound, knowing what she liked, what she needed, and what he wanted. He nibbled on her neck again and pressed harder into her, his rock hard erection digging into her hip.

Turning her face to the side she pleaded in a harsh whisper, “Sebastian what is wrong with you? I’m begging you, please stop!” She was trying to break free, but he had grabbed her right wrist in a tight grip and held it firmly at her side while her left hand was fairly useless, waving in mid air, blocked by his broad shoulder that was turned in towards her. Ellie continued to struggle and as his fingers slipped inside of her she couldn’t stop the yelp of surprise, the desperate cry of “NO!” that sprang from her lips, or the foot that stomped down firmly on top of his.

As if a glass of cold water had been thrown in his face, Sebastian suddenly released her, looking as shocked as she felt. “Ellie?” he spoke, the confusion clear in his voice. Unfortunately for him, Ellen O’Neill was angry and frightened and desperate to leave that place. Seizing the opportunity, she was already marching down the stone path where she found an opening and crossed the terrace room hurrying out to the main exit. There were cabs everywhere and she climbed into the first one, slamming the door shut as Sebastian, hot on her trail, reached for the handle.

“Drive!” she urged the cabbie as she settled back into the seat, fighting back the tears. The man nodded and pulled away from the curb, quickly mingling into the flow of traffic, disappearing while Sebastian watched in dismay. His head ached and he felt dizzy and weak…“What the fuck?” he uttered aloud, not expecting an answer, and receiving none.  


“Where to miss?” the cabbie asked in a warm friendly voice. She lifted her eyes and met his in the rearview mirror, shaking her head. She didn’t want to go to her apartment knowing that was the first place Sebastian would look for her, and she didn’t want to face her parents at that hour in the condition she was in… She gave him the address of her semi-best friend and pulled out her phone to call and see if the woman was even home; of course she wasn’t.

Leaning forward, she told the cabbie, “Joe” (according to the license on the visor), that she had changed her mind and wondered if he wouldn’t mind giving her the ‘welcome to New York City” tour… just drive her by all the sites. He nodded and smiled at her reflection, saying he would be happy to do it. Reaching for the meter, he flipped it off and proceeded to give Ellie the full meal deal, hitting all the hot spots, giving her facts and stories and telling jokes, bringing a smile to her face and even stopping at a hole in the wall diner where he went in and bought them each a cup of steaming hot chocolate. They sat in the parking lot and sipped on the creamy goodness and after several minutes, he asked her if she was feeling better.

Nodding at him she whispered, “Yes, thank you so much for your kindness.”

“Oh sweetie, sometimes we all just have to stop and be good to someone else. Otherwise, why would anyone ever be good to us?”

“You are a very wise man Joe.”

“Yeah? Would you mind telling my wife that?” he chuckled out loud.

“I’m sure she already knows it.” Ellie grinned at him then added, “I guess you better take me home now.” She gave him her address and took another drink from her almost empty cup.

Joe nodded and Ellie looked at her phone, seeing that she had received several texts and voice messages from Sebastian. She didn’t check any of them. She wasn’t quite ready for that yet. As they stopped in front of her apartment and she tried to hand Joe her debit card he shook his head. “No little miss. This one is on the house. It has been my pleasure to escort you around the city. And for what it’s worth, don’t be too hard on your boyfriend… sometimes things are not what they seem. But I think you know that already.”

Ellie touched his shoulder, the warmth rising from him was a soothing balm and she smiled brightly at him, “Thank you Joe. God bless you and yours.”

“You too Miss Ellie, you too.” Ellen wouldn’t remember until much later that she hadn’t told the driver her name, and she didn’t turn quickly enough to see the soft golden glow that settled down into the back seat of the cab that she had just vacated.

 

As the elevator door slid open quietly Ellie stepped into the hallway turning to see Sebastian sitting on the floor, back wedged against her apartment door with his arms crossed over the top of his knees, his forehead resting on his arms. She hesitated for a moment, not sure she was ready for this conversation, but needing to understand what had happened. As she moved toward him, Sebastian raised his head to see who it was. The tortured look on his face was momentarily replaced by a wash of relief at the sight of her. He pushed himself up from the floor and his whole body trembled, his desire to hold her close, held tightly in check.

 

“Ellie… are you okay? Did… did I hurt you?” the pain in his eyes was real, the regret in his voice… that was real too. She pulled her key out and unlocked the door, brushing past him without a word. He stood in the doorway, not sure what to do, afraid to make things worse.

Dropping her things on the table, she exhaled a shaky sigh, “Sebastian, don’t stand out there, come on in.”

Doing as he was told, he closed the door and walked to where she was standing, moving behind her he gently placed his hands on both of her shoulders and she leaned back into his chest. He spoke barely above a whisper, his mouth to her ear. “I am so sorry Ellie. I can’t... I don’t know what came over me. I’m ashamed and embarrassed and afraid that I’ve done something that can’t be undone. My actions were inexcusable. But El, I swear to you, I didn’t mean to do it. I mean, it wasn’t me… it was something…”

He stopped as she turned to look into his eyes. Those dark greasy orbs from earlier were gone, replaced by his stunning blue ones. Sebastian saw the look of confusion on her face as she studied him.  

“What?” he could tell her mind was working overtime.

“Sebastian… even before we left for the party, I… I felt… It didn’t seem like you were yourself. And then, your behavior at the party and your words now… you felt it too. It wasn’t you.”

“What do you mean?” he thought he knew where she was heading with this, but the doctor in him, the logical part of him, started to ruffle immediately.

Seeing the look on his face, Ellie ran a finger across his wrinkled brow before cupping the side of his face, “Sebastian, listen to me. I know how it sounds, okay? But you have to admit we have been smack in the middle of some pretty wacky stuff since the day we met. What makes this any different?”

He stared at her for so long; she started to get a little nervous. Finally he looked down, rubbing his hand across his scruff covered face. “So, what is it that you think is happening here?”

Taking his hand, she led him to the couch where they sat and faced each other.

“Okay, when you say that it ‘wasn’t you’ back at the hotel, I believe that. I mean, yes, of course it was you, but it was you and something else. Something dark and menacing; something that I have felt before in my dreams.”

She thought for sure he would balk at the mere suggestion, so she was more than a little surprised when he made no comment at all, and seemed open to hear whatever was on her mind.

“Sebastian… when I was a little girl, I had a couple of girlfriends that I was really close with and most weekends we would gather at one of our homes and spend Friday or Saturday night together. One time, without telling the other parents, one of the mothers took all three of us on an overnight road trip. The place we stayed was sort of like a cult group or something, but of course back then I didn’t even know what that even was and it was like this great adventure. They had lots of animals and plenty of land for us to run around on until after dinner, when we all gathered around this huge bonfire and the adults sang… or now that I look back, maybe they were chanting something. My friends and I thought it was really funny, but we joined hands and swayed back and forth and chanted right along with rest of the group.”

“Ellie! For God’s sake! WHY is this the first time I am hearing about this?” Sebastian croaked in frustration… wondering how many other things she had somehow neglected to tell him.

“I know… I know… let me finish. While we were all chanting and swaying, something happened to me. I sort of went into this trance, or at least that’s what the girls told me. I thought they were teasing me. All I remembered was getting really dizzy and hearing voices all around me and then waking up on the ground. But my friends told me I was… mumbling, words that they couldn’t understand and whatever I was saying was making the adults very nervous and unhappy. When I asked Mrs. Carter what I had done wrong, she assured me that no one was angry with me and that I hadn’t done anything wrong; and she gave me a tiny little leather bag on a long leather necklace. She told me it was a good luck charm and that I should keep it with me; and that everything was fine. But all the way home the next day, I could see her staring at me in the rearview mirror and she never let Brittany and I spend the night together again.”

“Ellie, you aren’t suggesting that you or I were possessed or something, are you? It could be…” he stopped there, considering what had happened to him a few hours before at the party. Shaking his head, he looked at her, remembering the way he had manhandled her. “…El, wait, wait a minute please. I understand how important all of this is… I’m really trying to wrap my head around it; trying to sort it all out. But first, I need you… I need to know that you believe me when I say I didn’t mean to hurt you and how incredibly sorry I am. I need to know you truly forgive me for being such an ass. Tell me that **we** are okay, please.”

Moving nearer to him on the couch, Ellie climbed onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I do forgive you, I love you and we **are** okay. I promise.”

Sebastian nestled his face into her neck and breathed deeply as she stroked his hair. Finally he looked up at her and asked the obvious question. “Ellie, if this IS some kind of demonic intrusion…what do we do? Neither one of us is Catholic, so, I’m guessing an exorcism is out…”

Suddenly she was staring at him with eyes wide, “I don’t know. I wasn’t really thinking of that. I have attended one Baptist church or another for most of my life. Far less frequently than I should have of late, and that’s on me...but I do believe there is evil in this world. All you have to do is look around and you can see it everywhere if you are honest with yourself. But I know that we are not alone! I don’t believe for a minute that I conjured up the words from some old book that I have never seen all on my own. I had help Sebastian; good, pure, righteous help! And that’s what we focus on…”

Sebastian cut her off then. He didn’t want to burst her bubble, but she was talking about ANGELS!! Honest to goodness angels from heaven… he couldn’t buy that. He just… couldn’t.

“Ellie, do you hear yourself right now? Do you honestly believe… sweetheart, there **is** something going on. And someone very bad is obviously behind all of it. Someone is using some kind of hocus pocus to make it look ‘other worldly’ but … I… I just can’t.”

“That’s okay Sebby… I’ll believe enough for the both of us, for as long as I can. Ultimately, I think you will have to come to terms with it. But for now, I’ve got you covered.”                    

He chewed on his lip for a few seconds, trying to read what was going on behind her eyes but all he could see was that she was feeling better. And that was enough. After the night they had been through, that was more than enough. When Ellie dozed off in his arms; he leaned his head back to rest against the couch and closed his eyes listening to her deep, rhythmic breathing. At last he could release the bottled up fear that he had lost her. Taking a deep breath, he allowed the tears that had gathered behind his lids to slip out and down his cheeks. He couldn’t remember the last time he had cried and wondered if it had always burned this way.

They stayed there for quite a while, Ellie sleeping, Sebastian holding her close, napping lightly, waking sporadically as the fringes of a dream started to filter across his mind. He would jerk into wakefulness to stop it from happening. He didn’t want the dreams… he couldn’t deal with them right now; and then he would sleep again.   After a while, he woke and roused Ellie enough to get her to the bedroom where he helped her out of the red dress and into a comfy sleep shirt. He tucked her under the blankets and leaving the bedroom door wide open he returned to the living room, where he settled down on the couch so he wouldn’t disturb her. He didn’t think his racing mind would ever slow down enough to let him truly sleep that night, but it did. Before long he was stretched out on the couch, snoring lightly in a dreamless, restful sleep.                            

 


	10. Chapter 10

 

_The dream ~_

_The heat of the day is oppressive. She walks across a field of delicate yellow flowers that stretches as far as the eye can see. The plants are bowing deeply, in need of water to revive their wilting stems. She can hear the constant crunch of the dry grass under her feet; tiny little bugs filling the air above and around her as each step she takes disturbs their rest in the afternoon heat._  
  


Ellen begins to grow restless in her sleep.  


**_She continues on…_** _After a while, she comes to an abrupt stop. Her way is blocked by a tall, white picket fence, where no fence should be. It takes her a moment to process this odd development._

_Looking left and then right, the fence stretches far and wide in both directions. No way to get around it, she reaches for the gate … but stops, her hand suspended in the air, lost. She doesn’t want to go on. She doesn’t want to go through the gate…_

**_“Little girl… little girl…” the voice fills her mind. It’s taunting, teasing, and daring her to move forward…_** _Her knees trembling, Ellen takes several steps forward, past the fence and shivers, the breeze sweeping across her hot skin, cooling the sweat that has gathered there. Suddenly, she hears the gate slam again and she moans in fear. She knows that the gate has closed and locked behind her and that there is no way out._  
  


Ellie struggles under the blankets, whimpering softly. **** _.._  
  


_She has done this all before; she doesn’t want to do it again. She doesn’t want to follow the path; she doesn’t want to fall on her knees to slosh around in the disgusting mixture of muddy blood… “ **Little girl… little girl… I have something to show you. Wouldn’t you like to see?”**_

_That voice. That VOICE. She knows it from somewhere. Not a friend. Not someone she should even be talking to. Her parents had warned her time and again to stay away from that Kinder boy. Over and over… they warned her. But she had seen him a few days ago, riding his bike with a puppy slung over his shoulder. The poor thing was obviously terrified and she wanted so badly to do something to make him stop. Maybe he was going to show her the puppy?_

_Turning to see him coming out of the tall grass, he reached out to her and smiled. She smiled back taking his hand; curiosity beating out common sense. He guided her back into the field and they walked for nearly five minutes before exiting on the other side. Thick dark clouds had formed during their walk and were now blocking the sun, the shadows making it seem much later than it actually was._

_In the small clearing that was pretty much visible to nothing or no one in any direction, there was a slimy moss covered pond that smelled bad; piles of broken furniture and old tires; empty rusted cages; and a small wood shack that had only a couple of window frames with the glass broken out and a canvas covering the openings from the inside._

_A deep seeded fear begins to spread through Ellie as she realizes there is nothing here that she would ever want to see. Pretending that she has suddenly remembered the chore that her mother had sent her on, she spoke through chapped lips, her dry throat making her voice come out in a croak. “Roland… I’m so sorry. I forgot to stop by Mr. Joe’s house to grab some things for my mom. If I get home without them, I’ll be in big trouble.”_

_Roland snorted unkindly, “I doubt that you even know what trouble is… What’s the matter little girl? Am I not good enough for you? Is my little house not fancy enough? Don’t you want to take a few laps in my pool?” It was dawning on Ellie just how confused Roland actually was._

_“Roland, it’s none of those things. I just really need to go back now. Maybe I can come back on another day?” Instinctively she was trying desperately not to make him angry._

_“Another day? Another day? I guess that would be okay. But you don’t want to leave without seeing the puppy, do you?”_

_Despite her fear, Ellie couldn’t keep her face from lighting up with another bright smile. “Puppy? Oh yes, may I see it please? Just for a quick second?”_

_With a grin that was the closest thing to pure evil that she had ever seen, Roland nods and points to the door of the shack. “Come on in” he teases.   Her love for puppies trumping her fear of the unknown, she takes the few steps to the door and walks through. The smell hits her in the face. It was worse than anything she could ever remember. It was like…rotten meat. It was the smell of feces and death and blood all pooled on the floor of the tiny room where they stood. She begins to slowly back up when she spots the body of the puppy; horribly mutilated to the point that all that was really recognizable was its pristine white skull…_

_“Wha….” her question is cut off abruptly by the backside of his hand as Roland swings and connects, knocking Ellie to the floor. She tries to stand, but her head is spinning from the blow as she slides around on the floor, her hands covered by the mud and blood and gore; she can’t stop from throwing up, just adding to the whole awful scene.****_

“Ellie!! Ellen, wake up!! Open your eyes Ellen… look at me…” Sebastian was leaning over the bed, trying to wake her from the nightmare. Her screams had roused him from his spot on the couch. He’d raced to her room to find her drenched in sweat and thrashing around as if she was truly terrified and trying to escape.  “Ellie, baby… it’s me. It’s Sebastian.  I’m right here with you. Open your eyes now.”  He grabbed her arms and sat her upright, wrapping his arms around her. “Ellen, wake up. Its’ all right now.” he continued to speak softly, rocking her gently, holding her tight.  As the sound of his voice began to seep into her consciousness, her body began to relax and her breathing slowed. Sebastian stroked her hair wondering what the hell she had been dreaming about, but not sure he really wanted to know.

“Sebastian?”

“Yes. I’m here.”

“I need to tell you something… as my doctor. Can I do that now?” she spoke softly, her voice shaking, filled with dread and fear.

Sucking in a raspy breath, trying to fight back the wretched tears that now seemed determined to flow, he pressed his lips to her forehead then sighed. “Yes, Ellie, you can tell me anything, you know that. Let me help you.”   She pulled herself free from his arms and turned to face him. The pain on her face was like a slap in the face. His heart ached for her as he took her cold hands in his.

Ellie stared at Sebastian’s hands for several minutes as his thumbs idly stroked her fingers gently, the feeling giving her a sense of comfort that she couldn’t explain. Finally, she raised her head to look into his amazing eyes, taking a deep breath, hoping he wouldn’t think she was crazy.

“My dreams… they’re real.  I…I remember now that something happened to me when I was a young girl. Something that was so awful, I guess I chose to forget it. And I can’t remember anyone ever mentioning it again after it happened, so they must have wanted me to forget…”

Sebastian’s mind was racing. He had long believed that the dreams were a coping mechanism to deal with some trauma from her childhood. Now would come the challenge of figuring out what the images in her mind actually represented….  


_The memory ~_

_…. “I **did** walk through a field… tall corn stalks rustled as I passed through. It started out as a beautiful, lazy, late summer day. I was by myself because most of my friends had gone to church camp and I didn’t get to go… I… I had been pretty bad since school had let out for the summer; not doing my chores and back talking and other mischief, so my mama told me I couldn’t be rewarded for such bad behavior. Daddy tried to change her mind, but it didn’t work. So there I was, off on my own, not running the errands I was supposed to be doing… when I saw him. He was tall and skinny and all dressed in black. His long stringy hair hung down in his face, but I thought it looked kind of cool. I knew who he was, but I had never talked to him. I was almost 11 and he was about to start high school, at least he was supposed to._

She paused for a long moment, as if she was collecting her thoughts, not comfortable with what she wanted to say. Sebastian got a sinking feeling in his stomach; the very hint that some jerk ass punk had taken advantage of Ellie made his blood boil. “Ellie, I know some things are difficult to talk about, even with people you know and trust. Just take your time.” He was taking mental notes, and was amazed as her story unfolded how easy it was to link her dream version to the reality of what had actually happened.

Nodding, she closed her eyes then began again. _“I had gotten a little turned around, walking through the tall stalks and just when I had begun to think that, maybe I was lost, he showed up and led me to an opening between two fields…”_

Ellie continued on, giving him a full accounting of her memories as Sebastian sat and listened; , sickened, angered and shocked by the depravity of the monstrous young man who had spent a long summer afternoon playing out his horrific fantasies of abuse, cruelty and assault on an innocent little girl.

_As she spoke, Ellie remembered more and more of that day, more and more of the atrocities that the boy had done to her. She only stopped once, her eyes huge, tears spilling over and running down her hot cheeks as she recalled the dozens and dozens of bones, the skulls of the animals he had tortured and killed; how, just when she had accepted that he was probably going to kill her too, he stopped and cocked his head, listening. She heard voices then, she couldn’t make them out, but she thought they must be calling Roland… he didn’t answer them, as if he was afraid of being caught. Grabbing her by the wrist he drug her across the floor where he yanked open a door that led down to a root cellar. He pushed her down the short set of stairs, slammed the door and left her there, never thinking for a moment that she would be able to find her way out of that filthy black hole in the ground, not in the shape she was in. He didn’t know Ellie as well as he thought he did._

_When she finally managed to climbed out of the cellar and got herself free from the ‘house that wasn’t really a house’, Ellie ran as fast as she could manage, not even aware of the pain as she struggled to breathe; trusting that her legs would remember the way to go; as her mind was still reeling from all that had happened to her. As she neared the safety of home, she crashed into the arms of her father who was out searching for her. One look told him more than he wanted to know and he grabbed her up in his arms; running for the house, yelling for her mom to get in the truck where he gently sat Ellie and then pulling a worn out blanket from behind the seat he wrapped it around his baby girl….._

 

The room grew quiet as Ellie paused for a few minutes before reaching out to rest her palm on Sebastian’s face. The pain in his heart reflected in his eyes and she whispered, “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

Sebastian was fighting his natural urge as her boyfriend to hold her close and comfort her in his arms versus his years of training and the time he had spent as her doctor. He wasn’t sure what he should do, so he let Ellie make all the first moves as he struggled to support her in whatever way she wanted him to.

“The only thing I remember about my time in the hospital is when the Sherriff came to visit me. He was very nice and brought me a stuffed bear and there was a lady with him, I suppose thinking back on it, that she was a shrink of some kind? They asked me lots of questions and I answered them all while my mama sat beside the bed, holding my hand and crying. My daddy stood across the room with his head down.”

Ellie gave him a tiny smile. “Sebastian? How is that I can remember all of these things now, when I couldn’t before; how was it all buried away in my brain for years and years?? How does that happen?”

Sebastian gave her the stock reply about the amazing power of the brain and how little was actually understood about how it worked. He knew she was exhausted and he didn’t want to stress her out, but he had to ask her a few more questions.

“Ellie do you remember his name, the boy who did this to you? Was he caught?

“I don’t know. I don’t think so… Wait!! I, I do remember his name was Roland. Roland Kinder.”

 

Sebastian’s face had suddenly gone a disturbing shade of gray “Roland Kinder?”

“Yes… do you know him?” Ellie looked surprised at his reaction.

“I…You know I’m not supposed to talk about the cases I work on, but I have a gut feeling you need to know this.” He reached out and pulling her into his arms then, holding her close. “Ellie, sometimes I work with various law enforcement agencies, trying to assist them in solving certain crimes, walking a thin between what I am legally allowed to tell them and what I CAN tell them. I love helping my patients and I am humbled by the trust that so many of them put in me. But there are some…some who are so sick, desperately sick past the point where I or anyone else can help them, and I know that they are such a danger to society that I feel obligated to help get them off the streets. You follow what I’m saying?”

She nodded, still not understanding how it was all connected.

“I had been treating a man, his name is Roland Kinder. I think it must be the same person Ellie; he is the right age, he fits the general description of what that boy would look like now and he is one sick son of a bitch.   I was trying to help the authorities get him off the streets for good and somehow he found out about it and, I thought, he just disappeared. Now I’m not so sure he’s gone anywhere.”

A cold shiver ran down her spine as the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together. “You don’t… you can’t think that he …”

“El, I don’t know what I’m thinking just yet. There are so many variables, but I’ve got this awful feeling that he somehow figured out where you lived and that you were my patient and he has used some voo-doo black magic bullshit to mess with both of us.”

She’d had no memory of Roland for all of these years, and now, just the thought that he might be near terrified her. Ellie started shaking uncontrollably, tears falling silently. She clung to Sebastian with all her strength and even though he was still embarrassed and concerned about how strangely he had behaved earlier that night, not sure what had set him off, he held her close, hoping she still felt safe in his arms. He never wanted to let her go; not until this whole mess was worked out and Roland Kinder was locked behind thick walls and iron bars.


	11. Chapter 11

 

Roland was seething. Things had been going so well, only to suddenly go so wrong. He kneeled on the floor in the middle of the room; stripped bare; his body covered in sweat; the scars rising on his arms, legs, back and chest; standing out in the glow of the candle light. Ellie O’Neill had managed yet again to wiggle her way free from him. He had been certain that using Dr. Stan was the perfect way to trap her and finish what he had started all those years ago.    


_…She had been such a pretty little girl; he had watched her in secret for months before he was finally ready to take her as his own. She would be the perfect sacrifice; never failing to arouse him when he imagined her bare body, dripping with the blood he would draw from her creamy skin… he had shivered in anticipation every time he dreamed of it. He struggled with his desire to possess her and those feelings had only intensified after fate had arranged for her to be at the Sabbath gathering with her girlfriends. He had sneaked in to watch. He knew his mother and grandmother were into some very strange, powerfully occult practices and that night Ellie had shown herself to be clean, a child of the light. He knew then that he had been chosen to claim her for the dark side._

_He watched and waited and planned, schemed and dreamed until one afternoon she had simply shown up there near the clearing...like a lamb to the slaughter. It could have worked; it **would** have worked if his mother had not distracted him; though later when he questioned her about it, she swore that she had not been calling for him. When he had found the girl missing upon his return to the shack, he threw together the most powerful hex bag he had ever attempted to make. He knew since Ellie had been strong enough to pull herself out of the basement she would likely have the determination to make it home. She would be able to identify him to the authorities and have him locked away for a long time. Figuring that her family would be at the hospital with her, he finished the hex bag, made his way to her house, hid the bag inside her mattress and spoke the ancient words his grandmother had taught him… and so her dreams began.     _

_From the time he was very young Roland had been ‘taking care’ of himself; his mother would never be confused for the nurturing type. His independent nature aided him as he managed to avoid capture for 15 months at which time he was returned home to stand trial. Ellie did not attend. She had suffered a seizure a few days after the attack and fell into a coma that lasted 6 days. When she awoke, she didn’t remember any of it. Thankfully, the Sherriff had gotten permission to video tape her testimony in the hospital and had kept it on file. Everyone involved, including Roland’s lawyer believed her side of the story and Roland was sentenced to spend several years in a psychiatric “hospital” for minors where he would be re-evaluated on a regular basis and kept until it was determined that he could be released or moved to an adult facility._

_He was eventually re-located to the sanitarium where he remained for 15 years, until the voices started calling on him to finish what he had started. On a rainy night in April he simply walked away from custody and made his way to New York. Once there, he was led to Ellie by some power that he did not question and shortly after, he gained access to the offices of Dr. Sebastian Stan, where he used his now considerably stronger abilities to get all the information he needed on both of them and then work up a plan to use Sebastian to get to Ellie…._

And so, here he was, wondering what had gone wrong?!! He knew Sebastian was not a ‘believer’ in any real sense of the word. He should have been able to influence the doctor to follow his bidding with little resistance. Instead, he was continually surprised by Sebastian’s reluctance to do anything to hurt Ellie. Even when Roland had managed to ‘replace’ one of the waiters at the fancy dinner, and drug the man’s drinks with his most potent elixir, he had still let the girl get away.   Roland realized he was going to have to come up with something soon or risk disappointing the voices that came to him in the night; this might be his last chance. Even more frightening than the thought that he might be caught again, was his new found belief that Dr. Stan would hurt him much worse than they would.  
  


 **  
  


Sebastian woke late on Sunday morning; stretching slowly and reaching across the bed to feel Ellie’s warm body. His eyes opened wide and he shot up in the bed when he realized that she was not there. He cocked his head and listened closely, hoping to hear some kind of familiar sound that would assure him that she was there in his apartment. Rolling out of bed, he called out for her and got no reply. He did a quick search of the apartment and found no sign of her. Just as he was about to get frantic, he saw the post-it note on the front of the coffee pot.  


_“Good morning!_

_You are out of coffee and I am running late. I decided to attend church this morning. I want_  
t _o see if I can have a short talk with the pastor. He’ll likely be too busy, but I’m sure I’ll be_  
safe there and it won’t hurt me a bit to say a prayer or two. 

_I knew you would think I’m crazy so I didn’t ask you to come; but I have to do this._

_I love you Sebastian,_

_Ellie”_

Sebastian didn’t know if he was angry or hurt or simply frightened that she had gone out without telling him first. Shaking his head he grabbed a bottle of juice from the fridge and chugged down several swallows before deciding that it was NOT a good substitute for a hot cup of coffee. He returned the bottle to the ice box then headed for the shower. Afterwards, he dressed quickly and grabbed a pad and pencil, determined to make some sense of all he had learned about the odd relationship between Ellie and Roland. As he jotted down his notes, he sorted each tidbit between two rows, trying to make sense of the puzzle that had finally started to come together. No matter how hard he tried to make it fit into a typical stalker/victim scenario, he couldn’t get around the supernatural aspects of the whole thing.

Frustrated, Sebastian wadded up the newest set of notes and tossed them in the trash. He could NOT accept the magical/mystical overtones that Ellie used to explain everything.  He seemed to be the only one involved in all of this who didn’t believe in any of it… so why was he being pulled into it? He leaned over the blank pages in front of him, placing both hands on the back of his head. Closing his eyes, he let his mind roam free. Taking several deep breaths, he slowly released them, thinking of nothing in particular, just listening, hoping for some kind of answer.

What he got was an icy chill that started at the base of his neck and ran sharply down his spine. He wasn’t alone. He could hear the humming of the fridge; the dripping of the sink that he kept promising Ellie he would report to building maintenance to be fixed; the radio that Ellie had left playing softly in the bedroom; the loud ticking clock in the living room; and the voices. He heard voices that he KNEW could not be there in the room with him. The temptation to open his eyes was difficult to ignore, but he somehow felt that his role in this little game was to just stay quiet unless called upon…. God!! He must be going crazy! He must truly, truly be losing his mind…and still he sat silently, trying to control his breath, listening.

One by one the sounds that filled the apartment faded away to nothing. Everything but the voices; speaking to each other in some strange yet familiar language… no! This was madness! He was a grown man; a well educated, successful, worldly man who could not entertain the idea of angels and demons and witches and evil and …

“Sebastian.” A soft, warm voice spoke in his ear, in his head, from his heart? He didn’t know, but he felt it throughout his whole body, this voice that couldn’t be there. “Sebastian, you must choose. I can help you as I have helped you on many occasions. But YOU have to choose. The time is growing near; Ellie needs your help… don’t let her down.”

At those words, he jumped up and looked around the room. He was frightened and confused and angry.

“Show yourself!!” He shouted to the room that appeared to be vacant but for himself. “If you are real and not some trumped up figment of my overwrought imagination, show yourself to me. Prove to me that you exist… that you have any power or control over any of … of… this!”

His demands were met by silence. Breathing heavy he started to curse out loud when he noticed a warm sensation settling down to rest on his shoulder. He quickly spun round to see if someone was behind him. Of course there was nothing to see. He held his ground, breathing heavy, needing proof. After several minutes, the warmth gave way to a coldness that invaded his veins; the burning chill gripping his whole body, chest constricting as fear began to mount in him. He was losing some battle that he didn’t even know how to fight when, with no warning, the coldness was abruptly ripped away leaving him hollow but clear headed. As the comforting sensation of warmth again spread over him and through him, he whispered, “Tell me. Please, tell me how to help Ellie. I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t hurt Ellie.”

He didn’t really expect an answer but just as he heaved a shaky sigh, he heard the voice again.

“Choose Sebastian. Just make the choice… it’s up to you.”

At once the clock began to tick, the water dripped, the radio played and the fridge hummed on. He was by himself again. But somehow, he didn’t feel alone.   This was damn peculiar! And it was real. It was 100% real. It seemed that there was a lot more to this than he could ever have imagined; a lot more than he ever thought possible. How he fit in this picture he wasn’t sure, but he needed to find out, to understand … to choose.

Looking at the clock, he wondered what time Ellie had gone to church and when she might be back. They had never discussed these things, he didn’t even know what church she would go to, or if it really mattered. Anxious to talk with her, he grabbed his phone and sent a text:  


_“Hey little kitten,_

_I’m missing you desperately… but understand your need to explore all possibilities. Had a_  
_s _ _trange experience this morning… looking forward to discussing it with you. Hoping you___  
can help me find some sense in it all.  
   


(… a sudden wave of emotion washed over him as he thought of Ellie and the things she had shared with him. It made him so angry and sad and afraid, his whole body trembled. They had to find Roland Kinder and put an end to his power over her. He would see to it. Whatever it took, he would put that man behind bars, or kill him. At that moment he was leaning toward the latter…)  


_I’m still trying to wrap my head around the horrors that you experienced that day so long ago._  
I can only imagine how it must be affecting you. We will get through this, I promise you that.  
I love you Ellie, with all of my heart. I love you.  
  
Sebastian”

  
*  


 

Ellie hadn’t been to church for quite a while. Not that she had been away for years and years or anything like that. No… she had been a fairly faithful attendee all of her life. Sometimes she went just as a matter of habit or for the sense of fellowship that she enjoyed with the congregation; and other times, like now, she was searching for answers.   Her parents had taught her that all the answers to all the questions were in the Bible. That didn’t mean that they were going to be easy to find and there was no guarantee that you would like the answer once you found it. And more importantly, you had to have the faith to believe what you found there.   Most people had a difficult time with that part of the equation at some point in their lives… she knew that for a fact. But here she was, returning to the one place she had always felt safe and loved; certain that the answers she needed could be found here.

For all of these years she had managed to block the memory of that day out of her mind, as if it had never happened; but she HAD always felt a tremendous sense of gratitude just to be alive, which now made a lot more sense to her. Yes, she had been subjected to something awful, but she survived and she knew in her heart that it served a higher purpose than she would ever understand. And now, with Roland making an appearance and all of the strange things that were happening, she felt certain that at long last, that chapter of her life was going to end. One way or another, the voices, the dreams, all of it, it was going to end.

Leaving the beautiful old church, she crossed the street to make her way to the subway, stopping for a moment to sit on a bench that overlooked a small park. It was a lovely day and there were lots of people gathered around, enjoying the fresh air. She noticed her phone vibrate and she pulled it out of her purse, wondering how Sebastian was feeling about things this morning. She had really dumped heavy load on his shoulders last night.

As she read his words, she could hear his voice in her mind, making her smile softly. He had a way of speaking that made people, her at least, feel completely safe. She had never heard him raise his voice to anyone; seldom heard even a hint of frustration there. He was very good at hiding his feelings. He had to be just as confused as she was about the whole situation, maybe even more so because she had been having the dreams her whole life. She looked at the text again, her eyes lingering on his proclamation of love. With no warning, tears threatened to spill. She needed to talk to him too, right away…  


“Hello?”

“Hi handsome.”

“Oh, sorry… he just left. This is Sebastian.”

Ellie giggled, just like she did every time he teased her. “Oh darn it. I guess you’ll have to do.”

“I’d do anything for you baby, you know that,” his voice was deep and husky now. “So, how did it go? Did you get to talk to the preacher guy? Are you on your way home?”

As he peppered her with questions, she giggled again. “Yes I talked to the pastor, I am a few blocks from the subway so I should be home fairly soon and I feel much better about a few things… but what about you? What strange experience did you have this morning?”

Sebastian paused before answering, wondering how much he should say. “I, uh, it can wait until you get here, if that’s okay?”

“Of course… I’m on my way. I love you.”

“I love you too baby.”


	12. Chapter 12

 

On the subway platform, Roland stood just feet from her, watching her openly, knowing that no one would be paying attention to him. He took a moment to appreciate what a beautiful woman she had become, having long since left pig-tails and scraped knees behind. He had wanted her even back then; which only intensified his desire to have her now.   He could almost reach out and touch her, but knew that he should stick to his plan. He carefully stepped back, blending in with the crowd. He stopped for a moment to watch her as she boarded the train and grabbed on to the pole as the it jerked to life and pulled away from the station.

Roland’s mind was filled with voices and visions and the occasional demented idea of his own. He had been mentally challenged, even as a small child. His father saw it right away and blamed his wife. She and her occult practices and spells and elixirs and all the rest of it. He had thought it amusing at first, but once she had become pregnant, he wanted her to stop with all the ‘witchcraft’ and take better care of herself, for the baby. Of course she didn’t and as a result Roland suffered various ailments; not the least of which was his preference of being alone and his proclivity to follow the black arts like his mother and grandmother before her.   John Kinder had tried to come to some kind of compromise with his wife on how she was raising their boy, but she paid no attention to his requests, certain that Roland was destined for greatness. John was killed in a freak accident when Roland was only four years old.

The man that Roland had become was a product of the drugs, spells and teachings that his mom had piled on him. Even if he had been born with a healthy mind, it would have been warped long before he reached adulthood. You could **almost **feel sorry for him, except that he really, really enjoyed killing things and making people afraid.****  
  


********

***  
  


Reaching Sebastian’s apartment, Ellie found herself humming one of the worship songs they hand sang that morning and as she opened the door she wore a soft smile on her face. Sebastian was in the kitchen, throwing together a huge salad, while soup bubbled on the stove.

“Wow! It smells wonderful in here!” she smiled brightly at him as he grabbed a dish towel to wipe his hands before meeting her half way across the room, drawing her into his arms and holding her tenderly.

Humming her approval, she snuggled closer, resting her head on his chest as his chin sat lightly on her head. His grip tightened as he fought the urge to pick her up and hold her… she seemed so small and helpless, yet she had found a way to survive an ordeal that no one should ever have to go through.

With a small grunt she nudged him a bit, “Hey! I love to feel your arms around me, but I need to breathe once in a while!!”

“Oh, sorry… I guess I’m just feeling protective, or something.”

“Thank you Seb, but I promise you, I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me flipping out or anything. In fact, on the ride home, I was thinking about my dreams and how the reality of what had actually happened go together hand in hand. It’s like I didn’t remember it, but I almost did.”

“I’m not worried about you flipping out,” he rolled his eyes at her, “I just want you to take things at a comfortable pace. And yes, as you were describing what happened to you, it all came together. The house where you felt such evil was obviously the shack. The path with tall grass was the route you walked through the tall corn; when you stumbled it was probably your inner voice telling you not to go. The blood and mud and bones… It’s likely that to your young mind, it seemed like hundreds of skulls and gallons of muck. The voices? I’m still not sure about that, maybe when he left you there, you heard someone calling for him… or possibly someone looking for you. And the people that you only recognize in your dreams? They could represent the people at the hospital… you were likely in and out of consciousness that first night, you probably didn’t want to be there and they wouldn’t let you go, so you were afraid.”

Ellie was smiling up at him. He was in his element now, dissecting and analyzing her dreams into neat little stacks and sorting them into their proper slot. Noticing the way Ellie was looking at him; he stopped talking and smiled tenderly at her, brushing her hair back from her face. As he peered into her eyes, trying to read what might be hidden there, all he could see was the love that she felt for him. After everything was said and done, that was what it was all about. Lowering his head, he kissed her; a little hesitant at first, but soon he realized what she needed most from him was to feel safe and loved. He hoped he was up to the challenge.

After a few moments of exchanging kisses and the pleasure of simply being held in his arms, Ellie sighed.

“Okay, what was your weird experience of the day?”

“First, let me ask you,” he pulled her down on the couch with him and they got comfortable, “What do you know about angels and demons? Because as surely as we are sitting here, I … think I was visited by both this morning.”

Sebastian figured just throwing it out there like that would get some kind of reaction, but instead Ellie nodded her head, looking as if she had **_expected_** something like that to happen.

“Tell me everything,” was all she said and he quickly replayed the events of his morning. Nodding again, Ellie proceeded to describe her conversation with the pastor.

“Angels are real. Demons are real too. Over 80 times in the New Testament demons are mentioned. And there are LOTS of them. But lucky for us, for every one demon, there are two angels.” Seeing the look on his face she continued, determined to make him understand. “Demons are fallen angels Sebastian; they serve Satan and never, ever give up their search for a host body. It doesn’t matter to them if you believe in God or not… they know your weakness, they know your past sins, they know the sins you hang onto and they use that knowledge of your bondage to gain access to your body and mind.”

“Ellie, do you hear what you are saying?”

“Yes!! Sebastian, I know it’s not scientific or provable, but it’s true! How else do you explain the way you were acting at the party? That wasn’t you… I know that in my heart. I’m not sure exactly how Roland figures in the picture, but I know he is using them… or more likely, they are using him… either way, we need to be very careful. And you, Sebastian you need to decide. You need to choose to believe all of this and stand with me… or walk away. If you are weak for just a moment, your doubt can be turned against you and I don’t want to see you hurt.”

Sebastian’s brow was furrowed deeply as he considered her words. Ellie wasn’t sure if he was buying anything she was saying, but at least he wasn’t laughing at her.

Finally, he said, “OK. Let’s eat our lunch and talk about it some more.”   They sat at the table and enjoyed the meal he had made as he continued to ask her questions, some she was able to answer and some that she couldn’t. After 30 minutes he sighed, standing to carry their plates to the kitchen sink.   Ellie understood that he was stepping outside his comfort zone to talk about religion and spiritual things, and she was impressed at how open and receptive he was. Once the kitchen had been tidied up, Sebastian took Ellie in his arms and held her close to his body, feeding on her warmth.

“Ellie, what do you think the voice… the angel if you will, what did it mean? What am I supposed to do to help you? HOW do I protect you? Should I be contacting the police?”

His voice was strained as he spoke, feeling like a fish out of water and trying hard to remain calm and be strong for her.

“I’m not sure. I think that’s something you have to work out in your own way. I do think it will be soon though. And I think you will play an important role. One thing I am sure of is that, when this is over, it will really be over. I just wish I knew why he is after me…”

Sebastian shook his head, “I’m afraid only Roland knows why and I doubt very much if even he understands it.” He wished he had a better answer, something to blame all this on. Heaving a sigh, he scrubbed his hand along his cheek, “What do you say I get cleaned up and we go out for a while? I think some air would do me some good and having you by my side always makes everything better.”

Grinning in that school-girl way of hers, she leaned in and kissed him on the nose, followed by a light bop of her finger tip. “You got it! I’ll change be ready when you are.”

Nodding, Sebastian left her sitting on the couch, pulling out her phone to check messages. Mid-way through the past week, Joanne had reminded him that he had scheduled the next couple of weeks as ‘vacation’ and that she was looking forward to the time off. Sebastian had no memory of making those plans. Was it just a coincidence that just when he needed the time off, it was already there? …Looking upward a little self-consciously, he whispered a heartfelt, “Thank you,” before heading to the shower.  

*

*

 

For the first week of his vacation, Sebastian took Ellie to work, to lunch and picked her up when her day was done. He didn’t want to let her out of his sight. They stayed at her place so she would have anything she might need for work, and everything went smoothly. They spoke briefly about the incident from the past, as Sebastian was afraid she was not allowing herself to grieve the innocence she lost that day. Ellie assured him that she was okay, convincing him and herself that she was… until he got worried one evening when she had been in the shower nearly 25 minutes and he found her there, sitting on the floor, holding her knees to her chest, crying gut wrenching sobs. After that, she really did feel better and managed to get the following week off so she could hang with Sebastian.  


That Monday dawned bright and beautiful and unseasonably warm. They decided to visit Soho to browse some of the many unique shops there. Although they spent most of the time “just looking” at the merchandise or “people watching”, Sebastian managed to grab a pair of sunglasses and a couple of turtlenecks; while Ellie found a handbag and a sweet looking leather jacket that she couldn’t live without. After a while they decided to stop somewhere to grab a snack and sit for a little while.

When Ellie excused herself to use the ladies room, Sebastian was torn… he didn’t want to lose their table, but he didn’t want Ellie to wander off on her own either. He decided that she was probably safe for now, and he imagined that she was growing tired of him hovering, so he sat back and tried to relax, even though he couldn’t take his eyes off of the entrance to the hallway that led to the restrooms.  


*** Behind the door marked “Ladies”, Ellie had touched up her hair and was now searching her bag for some lip color. When she heard the voice say “ **Little girl** ,” her knees grew weak and as she turned to face him, her nose was covered by a tattered cloth that smelled both greasy and sweet. As she tried to focus on the face behind the voice, her eyelids felt like lead and she slipped into a dark abyss. ***

 

As the minutes ticked by, he argued with himself. He thought she should be back by now, but he knew that there could be a waiting line, wasn’t there always in the ladies room?

“Just calm down Sebastian… Stop looking for trouble when there is none. It hasn’t really been that long and if you bust in there to find her perfectly fine and washing her hands, you will be hugely embarrassed.” He was trying to reason with himself when suddenly these words echoed in his mind, “Ellie needs your help. Don’t let her down.”

Standing so quickly he had to grab his chair to keep it from falling over, he quickly made his way to the hallway and grabbed the first woman he saw by the door, “Miss, I am so sorry to bother you, but would you mind checking the restroom for a woman named Ellie, please?”

The red-head looked him up and down, making it clear that she would be available if his date had skipped out. Smiling she said, “Of course, let me take a look.” She stepped inside and after a few seconds she came back out, “Sorry sugar, but there is nobody in there.”

“What? Nobody?” he choked the words out as his mouth had gone dry.

The woman smiled again then squeaked when Sebastian went around her, going through the door and taking a look for himself. “Ellie? Are you in here?”

When he received no answer, he left in a rush, pushing past the crowd that had begun to gather in the hallway. He scanned the shop, looking for any sign of her, already knowing in his heart that she was gone. Running outside, he looked up and down the crowded street, not knowing which way to go.   He stood frozen for a second until he noticed a man across the street, dressed as a slice of pizza. He was holding a big placard in the shape of an arrow, pointing it to the south. Odd, because the pizza shop he was advertising was clearly two shops in the opposite direction. Unaware that he was even doing it, he whispered, “South? Is this a hint? Do I go south to find her? Okay. I’m trusting you,” and with that he set off in that direction; eyes busy searching the groups of people that he passed.

Coming to an alley, he grumbled to himself. “The alley, damn it!! He must have taken her out a back door, to the alley. Why didn’t I think of that sooner?” Stepping around a man, sitting on the ground with his legs flung out, body propped up against building, and Sebastian fought the fear rising in him. His heart was pounding and his pulse beat loudly in his ear. “Get a hold of yourself man. You need to keep it to…geth…er. A cold dread grabbed his heart as he hurried on to the far end of the alley, seeing that a group of onlookers was gathering there. When he reached them, his heart jumped from his chest to his throat as he saw Ellie sitting on the ground with several people, men mostly, leaning over her. She looked a little dazed, but not injured.

“Ellie,” he spoke over the gawkers, “Ellie, I’m here.”

Looking up she saw his face and smiled, stretching her arms up like a small child reaching for the safety of someone they knew and trusted.

“Baby, are you hurt? Can you get up?” he moved behind her and carefully helped her to stand. Turning her face to his he asked “Can you walk? El, tell me you’re okay. Say something, please.”

Her green eyes opened wide, her bottom lip quivering slightly as she whispered, “It was him. It was Roland.”

Sebastian pulled her into a protective hug and kissed her cheek. “Ok. Ok. Let’s go home.”

As they climbed into the cab that he hailed, Ellie opened her clenched fist and looked at the small piece of paper that she held there. She handed it to Sebastian and watched anxiously as he opened it and read aloud:  


_“That was too easy. I would enjoy continuing this game of cat and mouse, but sadly,_  
_we have more pressing business. The time has come. Two days from now I’ll be waiting_  
_for you at the shack. You know the one._

_**Don’t** disappoint me.”_

 

They stared at each other for a long time. Both of them struck speechless by the man’s boldness. He had managed to snatch Ellie from a crowded public place and move her to another, without raising any kind of alarm. He made it clear that he could grab her anytime he wanted, but rather than use another surprise attack, he told them where he was going to be and when, with no fear that they would turn him in. Apparently, he felt untouchable.   And honestly, for the time being, he was.

 

Stopping at Ellie’s apartment to pack a bag with some clothes and any other essentials she might need for the next several days, they returned to Sebastian’s apartment. His building had much tighter security than hers did (although Ellie didn’t think it mattered; if Roland wanted in, he would find a way). They sat side by side on the couch, trying to figure out how they should proceed. They quickly agreed that they had no choice but to meet with Roland; but the devil was in the details.

Sebastian knew several police officers and FBI agents and believed they should contact them and employ their help. After all, Roland had escaped from a Federal institution and they would love to close his case as soon as possible. Ellie wasn’t convinced that the authorities would even believe their story and would not be willing to do things in the right way. She had to be the bait, or Roland would simply walk away and grab her some other time.

“Ellie, are you sure you want to do this; that you even CAN do it? Revisiting that place may affect you in ways you can’t even imagine. And let’s not forget, the man has only the foulest of intentions. If anything happens to you, I… I could never forgive myself.”

“Sebastian, I have to do this. I don’t want to, but I believe that it has to end where it began… that it’s the only way. I trust you. I know that you will protect me; and I know you will do the right thing when the time comes,” she smiled at him and his heart ached with love for her.

“El, baby, I…”

“You can do it Sebastian. I know you can. I know it. It wasn’t just some random act of fate that brought us together. It was something so much more than that.” She paused for a moment, running her fingers through his hair as she looked deeply into his eyes, “You believe that, don’t you?”

He took her hand and kissed her palm, “Yes. I do.” Giving her an impish grin, he nodded, repeating, “I do.”

 

Later that night found the couple in the middle of the living room, swaying in each other’s arms as they enjoyed the soft music filling the air and a quiet peace that had settled on them.   Their plans were made, their minds were set and the game was on. After a light dinner that concluded with a scrumptious dessert, all having been washed down with possibly too much wine, they were both relaxed and comfortable for the first time in several days. As Ellie rested her head on Sebastian’s shoulder, nearly purring with contentment, he softly spoke her name, “Ellen O’Neil.”

“Hmmm?” she looked up into his clear blue eyes.

“I love you.”

“I know.” She smirked at him coquettishly.

“Really?” Sebastian chuckled as he suddenly dipped her toward the floor, pressing his lips to her throat, kissing and gently nipping his way up her neck as he pulled her upright, teasing her mouth with just a whisper of his lips before stopping to gaze at her delicate features. With his intentions clear in her eyes, he swooped her up in his arms and growled as he carried her to the bedroom. Placing her gently on the bed, he took great care in removing her clothes, taking the time to kiss and caress every inch of her skin as it was revealed to him. He wanted this night to be all about her…

Using his hands, his lips, his tongue, he treated her body to such pleasure she whimpered in ecstasy; at times begging him to stop only to plead with him not to. Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, he offered his body and they became one, riding that wave of absolute rapture to its conclusion. But Sebastian wasn’t satisfied as he started the game all over again. After a couple more of these mind blowing rides, Ellie cried, “Uncle!” making him laugh and smirk, quite proud of himself. Finally, as she lay encircled in his arms she said, “Sebastian Stan.”

“Yeah baby?” he spoke with a satisfied sigh.

“I love you too.”

Smiling at her wickedly he nodded, “I know.”


	13. Chapter 13

 

The wind rustled through the dry brown leaves. The crops they had passed as they travelled down the back roads of the small town where Ellie had grown up had all been harvested. But here, in this field, there had been no harvest. They made their way through the crinkling dried stalks of what had once been rows of corn and over the years had been infiltrated by a seemingly endless field of giant sunflowers. The once yellow petals were gone or so withered none of their previous beauty remained. Only the seedpods showed signs of life as tiny little bugs scurried in and out, oblivious to the passers-by.  

_“Ellie, are you sure we are going the right way?” Sebastian was hot; sweat trickled down the sides of his face, gathering on his jaw then running down his neck. Another wet trail ran down the center of his back, along his spine to find its way inside his jeans, making the band of his Calvin Klein’s wet and uncomfortable.   She didn’t answer him, only taking his hand and giving it a squeeze as she kept on walking._

_When they had arrived in town, they drove first to Ellie’s old home to get their bearings. The neighborhood was vacant, apparently bought up in some kind of land grab or another, but several of the houses were still standing in one form of decay or another. Sebastian wasn’t at all sure that she would be able to remember the route she had taken all those years ago. The route, like the memory of the events that had taken place that day could be wrapped up in some dream that she didn’t yet recognize.   Ellie had stood her ground, just outside the dangerously leaning picket fence, staring at her childhood home for a few minutes. Closing her eyes she had breathed in deeply and then turned to take in her surroundings. After a quick survey, she pointed, saying, “That way,” before setting off to find the shack as Sebastian nodded and followed along._  
  


Now, nearly 20 minutes later, with the dried up stalks the only thing in sight, Sebastian was starting to believe they were going the wrong way. However, almost as soon as he had asked the question, a dark cloud covered the sun above them, making him shiver unexpectedly. Ellie stopped in her tracks, her head tilted as if she was listening for something. As he studied her profile, he wondered again if they were doing the right thing. Agreeing to meet with Roland on his terms was risky at best. Yes, they had ‘eyes’ in the sky. Sebastian was wearing a GPS tracker and his pistol was tucked under his loose fitting shirt. The local authorities had been contacted and were making regular passes around and through the area. Several federal agents were also stationed in non-descript cars and clothing around the vicinity and were tracking Sebastian’s signal as well.

They were too far away. That was the problem in Sebastian’s eyes. He understood that if Roland spotted the agents, he would likely turn and run before they ever set eyes on him; but he didn’t’ like Ellie being so exposed to the danger. Roland was a freaking psychopath who’s thought process did not fit into any particular scenario. There was no telling what the man would do.

Pulling a bottle of water from her backpack, Ellie took several chugs and then handed it over to Sebastian who finished it off in just a couple of swallows.

“How are you holding up doll?” he asked her as he handed the empty bottle back to stow in her pack.

“I’m okay. We’re almost there. I’m scared… but I’m okay.”

Pulling Ellie into a hug, he told her, “You don’t have to do this. We can figure out some other way. Ellie, you **don’t** have to do this.” He looked into her eyes and saw the determination there.

“We do this now… we end this and move on with our lives.”

She offered him a tiny smile and he nodded, falling in behind her again as they trudged on.

 

The air was heavy, and a foul odor had risen from something just out of sight. They had slowed their pace to nearly a crawl as Ellie grew visibly more and more cautious, clearly very much afraid of what waited for them. Sebastian followed closely behind her and to the right, the fingers of his left hand tucked into the waistband of her jeans. If need be, he could jerk her backwards out of the way, and hopefully out of danger.   Suddenly, the field of tired, dried corn and sunflowers opened up into a clearing. There it was, just as she had described it, only worse.  

The “fire break” between fields was actually quite a bit larger than Sebastian had imagined, but it consisted mostly of empty, clumpy, vacant ground. He was no farmer, but he assumed it was to prevent the total loss of crops should a fire start on one side; it couldn’t as easily spread to the other. However, for all he knew, Roland could have made the clearing himself just to have a ‘private’ area to do his dirty deeds. At any rate, if a piece of land could look and feel ‘evil’, this was that place. Littered with the remains of broken, rusted, and forgotten pieces of farm equipment; various sizes and shapes of wood that at some point could have been furniture were scattered about, now so battered by the weather they were hardly recognizable. There were the rusted cages that Ellie had remembered, having lain in the same spot so long that the weeds and dirt had claimed them. A disgusting pond that had certainly at one time held water, and was still covered by algae and some kind of slime sat to their right; oozing a foul, disgusting odor. Left on its own it had filled in with so much silt that it resembled a giant mud puddle more than anything. And did I mention it smelled horrible?

His eyes were finally drawn to the shack. How it remained standing was a mystery. Sebastian could see where parts of the outer wall and the roof had completely rotted through and left gaping holes. The windows that had been covered by a tarp in Ellie’s memory were now broken out with no covering of any kind. Yet strangely, even at the height of the day, the darkness beyond, inside the building, was thick and impenetrable.  If Roland was in there, he blended in with the darkness and was invisible to the unsuspecting eye.

Moving up to stand beside Ellie, he could feel her trembling. Her eyes had gone glassy as she stared into the open doorway of the ‘house’ she had dreamed of so many times; where she had experienced such brutality that it was no wonder her mind had chosen to forget its true existence.   If he hadn’t already had a bad feeling about all this, he did now. He could hear a tiny rumble of thunder in the distance, even though the sun kept peeking through the clouds above them. Then he heard the rustling sound.

Standing there in that nightmare place, time seemed to no longer exist. It felt like they were in a dream, everything off kilter. The black clouds and bright sunlight; the crackling, crunchy rustling sound of the crops where the wind no longer blew; the unexpected sight of Ellie’s frosty breath as she exhaled deeply into the warm air that surrounded them.   What the fuck was happening?  
  


“ ** _Little girl…”_** the voice was clear and close and spoken with such evil intent, Sebastian reached back to take the gun from his waistband, never seeing the body that stepped into the clearing, appearing from absolutely nowhere. As he turned to focus on the sound, something hit his face and filled his eyes with a sharp pain, blinding him completely.   He tried to tighten his grip on Ellie, but instead was knocked to the ground, smashing into one of the cages that dug into his ribs with such force he figured one or two must surely have broken. Trying to regain his breath he heard Ellie’s groan of fear and he tried to call out to her, but was greeted by a boot to the face and then a second time for good measure. As he began to lose consciousness, he heard the voice again, **_“Hey doc. Long time no see”_ ** followed by another kick in the ribs. The darkness swirled, covering him in its chilly embrace.  
  


Roland turned to Ellie who remained frozen, facing the shack as if under some spell, unable to move.   He took his time, taking in her appearance; the creamy skin, the gentle curves of her body, the fear in her eyes. He smiled at her, extending his arm toward her and offering his hand. Trembling uncontrollably, she felt herself responding to him as she lifted her left arm and reached out to take his hand. Leading her the few remaining steps to the shack, he smiled broadly in victory, and expectation, so pleased with himself that he did not notice the drone sitting atop the light pole on the road several yards away.

As they stepped through the doorway, into the gloom of the shack, Ellie felt herself being transported back in time to that day from her childhood. An unnatural chill rose around her as Roland guided her into the center of room, now mostly vacant but still oppressive with the scent of death and decay.   He led her to a metal chair situated in roughly the same spot where there had been a table before… a table where he had tied her down; sticking a filthy rag in her mouth to stifle her pleas to be released. As he pressed her down onto the chair, Ellie found her voice.

“Roland, why are you doing this? What do you want with me? Where is Sebastian? I don’t understand.”  

“Silly little girl. Why do you question me? Haven’t you figured out who I serve? Have you yet to realize who you are? That night at the Sabbath when you spoke the dead language and promised damnation to all those who opposed your God, did you think I could forget that?”

“The nightmares… did you do that to me?”

“Yes!” the man giggled in excitement. “I had no idea how well my hex bag had worked. When I learned that you still suffered the effects after all this time, I knew I was strong enough now to make it even worse. I just didn’t expect the good doctor out there to run interference for you. I thought I could use him to get to you, but he turned out to be a fence walker, and they are never reliable.”

“Roland… I don’t understand what you are talking about. Please help me understand.” As she spoke she stared into his eyes. She saw madness there and something else, something she didn’t expect; fear. For all of his bravado, he was afraid. Maybe she could use that somehow. Pulling a battered wooden stool from the corner, he sat it close to her and took her hand again. That’s when she noticed the wicked looking knife he held in a loose grip by his side, seemingly unaware that it was even there until he suddenly raised it and gently ran the top side of it down the inside of her arm, his eyes fixed on the sleeve of her shirt as it slid across the material.

Ellie was terrified, afraid of what he was going to do to her; of what he may have already done to Sebastian, almost certain that the agents who were supposed to come to their rescue had no idea where they were. She had carefully surveyed the room, trying to spot anything she could use as a weapon, but there was nothing. It felt like she had already been Roland’s prisoner for hours when in fact only a few minutes had passed. Her heart was pounding so hard she was afraid she might pass out, which would be a relief from the brutal headache that had begun the moment she had heard his voice whispering in her ear.

“Dear God,” she prayed silently, “show me what to do.”   


*

Outside, Sebastian was coming to, groaning softly as he rediscovered each of the injuries his bodied had sustained in Roland’s sneak attack. His face hurt; his nose packed full of blood from contact with a size 11 boot; his eyes still burning with the residue of whatever the fuck had been thrown into them, his sight limited to a blur of colors; but the worst of it was his ribs. He could only suck in shallow breaths and even that sent a searing pain through his chest and back. Slowly, hoping that no one inside the shack could see him, he raised his hand to his ear to key the mic there. Speaking softly so his voice would not be carried any further than the spot where he lay, he tried calling for help. He got no response; then tried again, still no joy. Struggling, he tried focusing his attention toward the shack, wondering what the hell was going on in there. He didn’t think Roland would kill Ellie, at least not for a while, which meant he had time. Time to **what** exactly? Crawl his way to the door? He felt about as worthless as a pile of shit at that moment. He had only agreed to let Ellie do this because he was sure that he could protect her. Yeah, that turned out really well, didn’t it?

Taking several semi-deep breaths, Sebastian began to pull himself toward the cage and debris that he had crashed into earlier, hoping that he could work his way behind it so he wouldn’t be as easily seen from inside. He stopped short. The pain was bad, real bad. Searching the ground around him then gazing down at his shirt, he noticed it was ripped from his fall, leaving a small tail to flutter in the increasing wind.   Using the knife he had tucked in his pocket at the last minute, he managed to cut a good sized piece of cloth free. Rolling it into the shape of a fat cigar he took several more breaths then bit down hard on the roll, forcing himself to move his body out of sight. His groans of pain were mostly silenced by the material in his mouth. Score one for the good guys.  


*

Inside, Roland was becoming more and more agitated. Something didn’t feel right. He had planned this moment, lived it out so many times in his mind and yet somehow, he wasn’t as sure of himself as he should be. He knew he should wait for the cover of darkness to perform the ritual on Ellie… shedding her blood would be such a coup for the darkness he served. Ellie was blessed, she was special, chosen for something that he didn’t understand and in fact she probably wasn’t even aware of yet. However he knew that he could gain so much power and recognition from her demise, he had to do it. But maybe, maybe first he could play with her for a little while? As he mulled this over in his mind, Ellie was praying… She wasn’t surprised that Roland had outsmarted them. He was determined and ruthless and believed in what he was doing. She prayed for courage, she prayed for strength, she prayed for Sebastian and most of all, she prayed that those FBI agents would get there soon.

*

Brandon Scott, Sebastian’s friend since college who had gone on to become a highly respected agent in the Bureau was trying to keep his cool. When the equipment had failed and the drone had gone dark, he nearly bit the head off of the tech who was trying desperately to determine what had just happened. Brandon had never seen such total equipment failure happen all at once. Their bugs, the drone and even the signal from Sebastian’s phone had all dropped off the radar. They were out there with a homicidal maniac and they were on their own… almost. When all seemed lost, a tiny ping popped up from the cell tower that was closest to the farm where all the activity was happening. It was Ellie’s phone. The signal was weak, but it was enough to get them headed in the right direction.   He directed the other agents who were stationed around the fields to move in and several were already making their way to the shack.  

*

Roland, who had been mumbling incessantly for about 5 minutes, suddenly grew silent. He had a faraway look in his eyes and he seemed to be listening to someone, although Ellie strained her eyes in the direction he was facing and saw no one.   As he mumbled, he had begun preparing an area in the far end of the room that appeared to be some kind of alter. Even as her blood ran ice cold at the sight, she felt a sense of security surround her and her fear subsided.   Watching Roland, she saw his expression change back and forth, almost as if he was on both sides of a battle raging in his head. Ellie watched in horror as he lovingly stroked the blade of the knife he had taunted her with, a thin red line of blood rising on his hand, running down his arm to the bend of his elbow.

_“Ellie”,_ she heard the voice and instantly grew calm _. “Ellie, be strong. Be faithful. Fear not.”_ Fear not. Fear not. Okay, I got this. Ellie closed her eyes and prepared herself for whatever was coming.


	14. Chapter 14

 

The agents who were tracking the last known location of Sebastian suddenly froze in their tracks. Looking around, there was nothing to see; just more of the dried sunflowers and forgotten corn stalks. When the GPS suddenly glowed to life, none of them could make sense of the numbers. According to their readings, they should be there; standing right there, right now, but there was no one. When Brandon’s voice suddenly crackled over the radio demanding to know what was going on, they stared at each other, none of them knowing quite what to say.

*  


Sebastian, his eyes beginning to clear slightly, carefully searched his hiding spot again, a wide grin spreading across his face as he spotted the pistol that had been jarred free from his hand earlier. Pushing himself up to his knees, he crawled about two steps worth, reaching for the weapon, grasping it in his hand with a deep sigh. As he started to turn back to his previous position, a shadow crossed over him; which struck him as fucking strange knowing the sun was now covered by a thick spread of clouds. He slowly sat up and looked around to find a middle aged man sitting on the pile of rubble beside him. That, that couldn’t be right, could it?

“How… how are you…get down! You are going to blow my cover!” Unable to wrap his mind around what he was seeing, Sebastian was growing frustrated.

“Hello Sebastian. I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you.”

If not for the pain coursing through his whole body, he may have been intrigued by his new companion, but right now, he just didn’t have the patience.

“How do you know my name? Who are you? And PLEASE get down… you are going to mess things up.”

“Really?” the man grinned at him. “Mess things up?”

Leaning back into the rubble, Sebastian really looked at the man in front of him, only then did he realize that he was sort of looking through him. Blinking several times, he shook his head chuckling, “Yeah, I guess I already managed that pretty well on my own… So, this is it huh? I’m dead? Or you’re a ghost? Or… just tell me. Please. What can I do to help Ellie?”

With a soft smile, the man moved closer to Sebastian placing his hand on his shoulder and whispered, “Choose. Just choose.”

With clarity that he had never felt the likes of in his entire life, Sebastian knew, he understood. His whole life he had walked the line between doing good things and BEING a good person… between doing what was best for him and doing what was BEST… between doing what felt right and being righteous.

The man squeezed his shoulder, reciting from Revelations 3:15-16 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

Their eyes met and after a brief moment Sebastian nodded saying “Hot. I choose hot. Just show me what to do.”

The man laughed quietly, patting him firmly on the back, yet somehow NOT sending jarring waves of pain through him. “Yes!! I knew you would choose wisely! Now, you are not going to like this, but your first act of faith is to wait. … no, no, no! Don’t look at me like that! You and Ellie are both very important in a picture that is much larger than you can begin to imagine. Your work here is nearly done. Hers is only just beginning.”

Sebastian wanted to argue, to curse and pull himself up to fight the good fight, but something told him he would only be getting in the way, so he sat back again and nodded, but he had to ask, “Are YOU going to help her?

After a brief pause, as if considering just how much he could tell this man who obviously loved the girl with all his heart, he winked saying, “IF she needs me, I am always here for her. She knows that.” Pausing again he tapped his knee then continued. “Fear not my friend. Fear not. Your journey together is just beginning.”

With those words he stood, reaching out to touch Sebastian’s face; who closed his eyes and felt a soothing coolness smooth over his eyelids, and then… he slept.  


*  


As all their equipment suddenly came back to life, Agent Scott nearly choked on the sip of coffee he had been taking. He yelled out orders and directions, trying to get a good fix on Sebastian and Ellie. It took several minutes for everything to re-boot and start functioning properly. Through the lens of the drone, he could see Sebastian obviously injured and taking cover next to a pile of rubbish and tall grass. Ellie was nowhere in the observable vicinity but as he studied the scene closer, he could swear that Seb was talking to someone; someone that wasn’t there.  
  


* Roland bowed his head and began to chant, words that somehow sounded like familiar gibberish to Ellie. She thought maybe he was praying or whatever one does when they are ‘speaking’ with the devil. She listened closely to the words he spoke, the cadence of his speech, his sincere deliverance; he truly was enthralled with the one he followed. In her mind, Ellie began to pray too, confessing her sins, her shortcomings, and her regret that she so often fell back into her old, selfish ways. She began to speak out loud, not aware and certainly not meaning to upset Roland, who suddenly stopped mid sentence and turned to look at her.

Ellie continued on as the words flowed through her and out of her mouth, “Tewe! (Stop!) Behasetenyochachihu ayei arekesu. Bezihi seti layi minimi abetuta yelewotimi… bech’irashi aladeregutmi. (Do not defile the air with your lies. You have no claim on this woman…you never did.)”

Gritting his teeth, Roland struggled to remain calm and focused. He didn’t want to mess this up, but he couldn’t understand how Ellie, who knew nothing of the language, could speak it so fluently. Approaching her cautiously, he asked, “Be’inanite wisit’i lyetenagere yalewi mani newl? Minidni newl yemitfeligewi? (Who speaks through you? What do you want?)

“Cease this mindless game!” Ellie’s voice boomed in a tone that demanded respect and would accept nothing less. “You play with things that you do not understand. Your mind has been sullied with evil and tricked by the promise of reward. Your reward will be nothing but pain and sorrow. You know who I am. Do not doubt me!”

Roland began to tremble, his smug demeanor now waning with uncertainty.

“Lihoni ayichilimi. Anichi, izihi minimi hayili yelehimi… (It can’t be… you, you have no power here…)”

“Bezihi pilaneti weyimi lela minimi hayili belelewi bota yelemi. Ahuni yihinini bota wit’u weyimi ahuni fiidewoni yikidu. (There is nowhere on this planet or any other that I have no power. Now leave this place or suffer your judgment here and now).”

“No! This can’t be happening” a distraught Roland loomed over Ellie, who had managed to pull one hand free from the rope he had used to hold her in the chair while he went about his business. He grabbed his knife and held it in a death grip, hissing in her face, “I will KILL you! I will KILL you!”

“Ayi! (No!) You won’t because you know what will happen to you.” Ellie’s voice was still firm and confident. She had no control over what she was saying, fearlessly allowing the words to flow. “You are finished Roland. Now or later, it doesn’t matter. You have chosen your fate and embraced it. The voices you hear in your head tell you nothing but lies. You know that, even if you sacrifice this body, the spirit it holds will not be yours; it will not go to that dark place to be by your side. You KNOW this yet you refuse to accept the truth.”

As she spoke, Roland grew angrier and angrier. He was confused and hurt and tired and lost. This should be his moment of triumph and it was all crumbling around him. Even in the darkest of places it takes only a very small light to make a world of difference. He could hear the honesty in her voice, recognized the truth that she spoke; the truth that his own mother had stolen from his as a young boy. That’s when he decided that even if it meant his death and an eternity in the flames of hell, he WOULD have Ellie. He would have her and kill her and roll in her blood, marking it as his own.

 

Several things began to happen at once… Sebastian opened his eyes, still very aware of his injuries, but found that he was able to stand and the pain was not unbearable. His vision was much clearer now as well, though still far less than perfect. He had no real sense of how long he had been ‘out’ but knew that it couldn’t have been much longer than just a few minutes. As he stood, he could see Ellie in the chair with Roland leaning over her. He also caught the glint of light that reflected off the long blade of the knife as he threatened her with it.  

Hearing a crackle in his ear, he touched the mic there and heard his old friend Brandon speaking urgently, “Sebastian! My men are on the scene now and the drone shows you by that pile of rubble. There appears to be no rear exit other than a couple of smaller windows. We are prepared to move in. Are you ready? Can you even hear me?”

“Bran! Man I am glad to hear your voice! Yes… Roland is clearly agitated with whatever Ellie is saying to him. I may have broken a couple of my ribs so I’m not a 100 percent, but we need to get in there and get her out!”

“Alright, standard flanking positions, 4 to rush, with a copter hovering just a short distance away. If you don’t feel like you can participate, dude, stay out of the way. We’ve got this.”

At that moment, Ellie screamed and all hell broke loose.

Agents dressed in black SWAT garb charged the shack, 4 busting into the main room at once, greeted by the sight of Ellie on the ground with Roland on his knees straddling her waist, knife raised above her chest as she held on to his wrist with all of her strength.

“Drop it! Drop your weapon now!” the lead agent cried out as Sebastian eased his battered body into the doorway, leaning against the jam, aiming his weapon as well. With every fiber of his being he wanted to pull the trigger, to put the bastard down; that had been his plan from the beginning. But now; something inside would not allow him to do it.

Roland, frozen in place but still holding the knife looked at Ellie as tears filled his eyes.

Again the agent spoke, loudly demanding that Roland drop his weapon.

“Roland, please. You don’t want to do this. You don’t. Let me go and we will get you the help you need. I will make sure you get help.”

Tilting his head slightly, his eyes that were so often filled with hate and madness, giving them an eerie blank darkness, now cleared to a lovely chocolate brown as he smiled down at her.   “You would do that? After all I have put you through, you would help me?”

“Yes, yes! Let me help you.”

The other men watched, weapons locked on Roland as the petite blonde showed no fear.

Sebastian jumped a little as Brandon’s voice hissed in his ear again, “What the fuck is going on? Is the suspect down?”

“Hold on Bran… we’re negotiating…” he turned his mic down for a moment, avoiding the avalanche of cursing from the man in his ear.

“I’m sorry Ellie. It’s too late for me… but I can help you,” Roland lifted the hand that had been pressing Ellie to the floor, showing the men pointing their guns at him that it was empty, then slowly moving it to touch her forehead as the agent yelled again for him to keep his hands up and drop the weapon. “Sleep well, little girl. No more nightmares.”

In the blink of an eye, he turned to face Sebastian, giving him a wink before quickly raising the arm holding the knife as if preparing to plunge it downward.   He felt the hot lead tear through his flesh as no less than a dozen bullets riddled his body.   The blood splattered all over Ellie, who was choking in disbelief, trying to push Roland’s body off of hers.

Sebastian ran to her, along with other members of the SWAT team who immediately began to examine Ellie, making sure she had not been shot or injured in any other way. Two more agents pulled Roland’s body to the side, checking his pulse and nodding at Sebastian who took Ellie’s hand and helped her to stand.

“Baby are you okay?” his voice cracked slightly with emotion and pain.

Giving him her full attention, she noticed the bruising that had begun to spread across his face, the painful looking redness that remained in his eyes and the way he held his free arm nestled against his side in a protective way.

“Sebastian! You’re hurt!” she gently stroked the side of his face, her eyes filling with tears as she gingerly put her arm around his waist, raising up to place a kiss on his cheek. A fresh bustle of activity burst out around them as an ambulance and several more official vehicles arrived. Brandon arrived on the scene and with one look at Sebastian and Ellie, he understood why his old friend had been so determined to be a part of whatever happened.

After answering a truckload of questions from half a dozen people, they were both loaded into the ambulance for a trip to the local hospital. The EMT wanted someone to take a closer look at Sebastian’s eyes and make sure his lung had not been punctured. His radio crackled so he stepped out of the vehicle for a better connection and as he did so another man stepped in. He sat down next to Ellie on the bench seat and took her hand.

“Joe??” she questioned in surprise, recognizing the cab driver who had taken such good care of her that night the party gone so wrong.  


“Hello Ellie,” he answered in a soft warm voice. “I am so happy to see you!”

Sebastian opened his eyes and struggled to sit up, as both Ellie and Joe prevented him from doing so.

“Steady there my man. You have a few weeks of healing ahead of you. Take it easy.”

“I don’t understand,” Sebastian spoke just above a whisper… “WHO are you? How do you keep showing up?”

Joe smiled broadly at him, as Ellie reached out to touch him. Her hand passed right through his arm and somehow, she was not surprised or the least bit afraid. Eyes twinkling, she now smiled back at him, nodding.

“I’m sorry you two, I can’t stay on this plane for very long, and I am going to be in big trouble for showing myself again… but my heart tells me you need to hear this.”

Sebastian reached out to clasp Ellie’s hand in his. She was looking at “Joe” in such awe and wonder; he knew she was going to be okay. The ordeal of this day would quickly fade away.

Joe spoke once again, “I want you to know, to believe it in your hearts that great things are ahead for you. And one day, one particular grandchild of yours is going to do amazing things! Things that will change the course of mankind! So take care of each other, grow in your faith and never forget that you are meant to be together!” Looking around, he saw the Tech was returning. “I must go now… Shalom my children. We **will** meet again!” and then, he was gone.  

The couple traded smiles, as a mutual look of bemusement covered their faces.

“Well, that was different…” Sebastian squeezed her hand and closed his eyes as the pain meds the EMT had given him earlier began to take over.

Smiling to herself, Ellie closed her eyes as well, leaning her head back, keeping a firm grip on his hand. _“I’ll never you let go… never_.” was the last thought she had before dozing off on the ride to the hospital.

 


	15. Epilogue

 

Several weeks later, Sebastian and Ellie watched the snow falling outside the window as they sat side by side, feet propped up on the coffee table sipping hot chocolate from one giant mug.   His injuries now mostly healed, Sebastian did sport a small scar on his chin that Ellie assured him made him look even more dashing than he already had. She knew that he had opted to keep it as a visual reminder of not only what they had gone through together, but the promises he had made to “Joe” and to himself.

He had proposed to her the very day that he had been released from the hospital, declaring that if they were going to have grandchildren, they were going to do it the right way, adding that he “sort of kind of really liked her a lot” and that he didn’t intend to ever let her get away.

“How romantic! Did you come up with little speech all by yourself?” she teased him, even as she climbed onto his lap.

“Just say yes,” he whispered, cupping her chin in his hand, blue eyes full of love.

“Yes,” Ellie whispered back, knowing that her life would never be the same as it had been before Sebastian Stan. And that was just the way she wanted it.

They talked about that strange day only a few times before it began to take a back seat to the other happenings in their life. Ellie was absolutely certain, beyond a shadow of doubt that “Joe” was their guardian angel. Sebastian conceded that he was likely an angelic type being of some kind, but he couldn’t fathom how the whole planes of reality really worked, and that was okay.

Roland had spoken the truth. Ellie was no longer plagued with nightmares. She slept peacefully, night after night in the strong, comforting arms of her husband. Sebastian was happier than he had ever been in his life and they both looked forward to travelling the road that loomed ahead of them.

 

 _Five years later…_  
  


_The heat of the day is oppressive. She walks across a field of delicate yellow flowers that stretches all around her. The plants are bowing deeply, in need of water to revive their wilting stems. She can hear the constant crunch of the dry grass under her feet; tiny little bugs filling the air above and around her as each step she takes disturbs their rest in the afternoon heat._

_Taking a deep breath, Ellen focuses on the path, moving slowly at first, then more quickly as the sky is growing darker and she can now hear thunder rumbling in the distance. Looking around, she spots a brightly colored beach ball as the cool breeze ferries it along the top of grass. She hears the voices then, the happy laughter of children and the unmistakable growl of her husband as he playfully chases those children around, trying to gather them up for the ride home._

_Joining them on the beach, she laughs as their kids cling tightly to Sebastian’s legs as he lifts them into the air with each step he takes, loading blankets and towels and kids into the back, along with the beach ball.   He whistles and calls out, “Ranger! Come on boy!” and is soon greeted by a happy barking, wet mess of a mutt that jumps in the back of the SUV with the kids. Picking up any loose wrappers, water bottles and the picnic basket, Ellie smiles at him as he wraps his arms around her and kisses her to a chorus of “ewwww!” from inside the car. He then pats her softly rounded belly, so tenderly it brings tears to her eyes as he winks and opens the door for her._

_“Come on mama, it’s time to go home.”_

_Sebastian could not resist one last kiss, before turning and asking, “Who wants ice cream?!”_

_Ellie, Joshua and Becca reply in unison, “I do!” as Ranger barks in agreement and the happy family is soon on their way back to the city._

_The end…_


End file.
